Moorside railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Greater Manchester, England}}{{for|the proposed railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line|Moorside railway station (Cumbria)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Use British English|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox station | name = Moorside | symbol_location = gb | symbol = rail | image = Moorside railway station, Greater Manchester (geograph 3263195).jpg | borough = Wardley, [[City of Salford|Salford]] | country = England | grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]] | grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SD767022|25|SD767022}} | manager = [[Northern Trains]] | platforms = 2 | code = MSD | classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] E | transit_authority = [[Transport for Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester]] | opened = 1888 | mpassengers = {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 7,738}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 28,366}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 30,898}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 41,004}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2024/25 |passengers={{increase}} 42,856}} | footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]] }}

'''Moorside railway station''' is a railway station serving the town of Wardley, [[Greater Manchester]], [[England]]. The station stands on Moorside Road, close to the junction with Chorley Road ([[A6 road (England)|A6]]).

Moorside is a local station on the [[Atherton Line]] between [[Wigan]] and [[Manchester]], {{convert|6+1/2|mi|km}} north-west of [[Manchester Victoria railway station|Manchester Victoria]], with regular [[Northern Trains]] services to them as well as [[Salford, Greater Manchester|Salford]], [[Walkden]], [[Atherton, Greater Manchester|Atherton]] and [[Hindley, Greater Manchester|Hindley]].

It was opened in 1888 (along with the line) and, like others on the route, has a single [[island platform]] serving the two lines that pass through. When the line was quadrupled at the beginning of the 20th century, the two extra lines were laid to the south of the existing ones and were not given platforms. They were subsequently decommissioned in November 1965 and removed.

Until 6 May 1974, it was named Moorside & Wardley, becoming Moorside on that date.<ref>{{cite journal |editor1-first=J.N. |editor1-last=Slater |date=July 1974 |title=Notes and News: Stations renamed by LMR |journal=[[The Railway Magazine|Railway Magazine]] |volume=120 |issue=879 |publisher=IPC Transport Press Ltd |location=London |issn=0033-8923 |page=363 }}</ref>

Moorside is the least used station on the Atherton Line.

On 17 February 2020, the entrance and ticket office were destroyed by a fire. Police believed the fire was started deliberately.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/firefighters-tackle-blaze-moorside-train-17759852|title=Firefighters tackle blaze at Moorside train station weeks after it reopened following refurbishment work|date=17 February 2020|work=Manchester Evening News|access-date=17 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/train-station-remain-closed-foreseeable-17781280|title=Train station in Salford to remain closed after 'deliberate' fire|last=Blakey|first=Ashlie|date=2020-02-20|website=men|access-date=2020-03-03}}</ref>

The blaze took place weeks after the station had been refurbished. Prior to the renovation, the station had been regarded as one of the worst on the rail network, with outdated facilities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2020/01/one-of-britains-worst-stations-transformed-by-northern.html|title=One of Britain's 'worst stations' transformed by Northern|last=Holden|first=Michael|date=2020-01-15|website=RailAdvent|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-03-03}}</ref>

==Facilities== The station has a ticket office at street level, which is staffed part-time (06:55 - 12:55, weekdays only). Outside these times, tickets must be purchased on the train or prior to travel. Timetable posters offer train running information. Unlike most stations, there are no digital display screens. No step-free access is available, as the only means of getting from the entrance and ticket hall to the platform is via a staircase.<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/MSD/details.html Moorside station facilities] ''National Rail Enquiries''; Retrieved 20 December 2016</ref>

==Service==

Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is generally an hourly service southbound towards Manchester Victoria and northbound towards Wigan Wallgate and {{rws|Kirkby}}. Additional trains call during the weekday peak periods.<ref>[https://d11vpqhghel6qd.cloudfront.net/images/timetables/bucket2/manchester-to-southport-and-kirkby-4386-qtcl35.pdf Northern Trains timetable 14 - Manchester to Southport and Kirkby, 16 May - 11 December 2021]''Northern Trains'' website; Retrieved 20 November 2021</ref>

Evenings there is an hourly service in each direction to Manchester Victoria and Wigan.

There is now an hourly service in each direction on Sundays, to Southport and Blackburn via Manchester Victoria and the [[Caldervale Line]].

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{commons category|Moorside railway station}} {{stn art lnk|MSD}}

{{rail start}} {{rail line|previous=[[Walkden railway station|Walkden]]|next=[[Swinton (Manchester) railway station|Swinton]]|route=[[Northern Trains]]<br><small>[[Kirkby Branch Line|Manchester-Headbolt Lane]] or<br>[[Manchester-Southport Line]]</small> |col={{Northern colour}} }} {{s-end}}

{{coord|53.5163|-2.3526|region:GB_type:railwaystation|display=title}}

[[Category:Railway stations in Salford]] [[Category:DfT Category E stations]] [[Category:Former Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway stations]] [[Category:Railway stations served by Northern]] [[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1888]]