New Lane railway station

New Lane railway station serves the town of Burscough in West Lancashire, in England. It is served and managed by Northern Trains and is situated near the Martin Mere bird sanctuary, which can be reached by a 1-mile walk.

New Lane
National Rail
New Lane railway station in 2015.
General information
LocationBurscough, West Lancashire
England
Coordinates53°36′40″N 2°52′05″W / 53.611°N 2.868°W / 53.611; -2.868
Grid referenceSD427131
Managed byNorthern Trains
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeNLN
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened9 April 1855 (1855-04-09)
Original companyLancashire and Yorkshire Railway and East Lancashire Railway jointly
Pre-groupingLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Passengers
2018/19Decrease 2,248
2019/20Decrease 1,946
2020/21Decrease 612
2021/22Increase 1,814
2022/23Increase 2,188
Location
Map
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

The main stone-built station building survives adjacent to the Wigan-bound platform, but is now in use for non-railway purposes (as a private house), modest shelters now being provided on both platforms for rail travellers.

History

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The station opened on 9 April 1855 when the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) and the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) jointly opened the line from Wigan Wallgate to Southport London Street, the line and station had been planned, authorised and construction started by the Manchester and Southport Railway before it was acquired by the L&YR and ELR on 3 July 1854.[1][2] The main stone-built station building (no longer in use) was built during this time, in the standard L&YR style (albeit on a smaller scale compared with Burscough Bridge]) which had been described as "solid, substantial, well built of stone in the Elizabethan style, neat without undue ornament".[3] The L&YR amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948. When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail. Like neighbouring Bescar Lane, the station here formerly had its level crossing manually operated from a nearby signal box and both platforms on the same side of the crossing.[4] The present staggered arrangement was introduced when the box was abolished and automatic half barriers installed in the early 1990s.

Facilities

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The station is unstaffed and has a ticket machine, tickets can be purchased on the train or prior to travel. Timetable posters and a telephone are provided to give train running information. Step-free access is available to both platforms.[5]

Services

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Trains run to Southport and Manchester Victoria via Wigan Wallgate every two hours (with some peak extras).[6] Most eastbound trains continue to Stalybridge.

The last service to Southport is at 21:24 hours with the last service towards Wigan Wallgate and Manchester stations being at 22:32. There is no Sunday service, though a normal service operates on most bank holidays.

References

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  1. ^ Quick 2023, p. 333.
  2. ^ Grant 2017, p. 358.
  3. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 158.
  4. ^ New Lane Station in 1972 Images of Burscough; Retrieved 19 December 2016
  5. ^ New Lane station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 19 December 2016
  6. ^ Table 82 National Rail timetable, December 2019

Bibliography

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  • Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-78803-768-6.
  • Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-4352-4.
  • Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.
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Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Bescar Lane   Northern Trains
Manchester-Southport Line
  Burscough Bridge