Walkden railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Greater Manchester, England}}{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}} {{Use British English|date=April 2017}} {{Infobox station | name = Walkden | symbol_location = gb | symbol = rail | image = Walkden railway station 1.jpg | borough = [[Walkden]], [[City of Salford|Salford]] | country = England | grid_name = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]] | grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SD738026|25|SD738026}} | manager = [[Northern Trains]] | platforms = 2 | code = WKD | classification = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] E | transit_authority = [[Transport for Greater Manchester|Greater Manchester]] | years = 1888 | events = Opened | mpassengers =  {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 70,630}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.217 million}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.242 million}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.275 million}} {{Rail pass box |pass_year=2024/25 |passengers={{increase}} 0.301 million}} | footnotes = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]] }}

'''Walkden railway station''' serves the town of [[Walkden]] in [[City of Salford]], [[Greater Manchester]], England on the [[Manchester to Southport Line]]. The station is located {{convert|8+1/4|mi|km}} north-west of [[Manchester]] with regular [[Northern Trains]] services to these towns as well as the city of [[Salford, Greater Manchester|Salford]], [[Swinton, Greater Manchester|Swinton]] and [[Hindley, Greater Manchester|Hindley]]. It was opened by the [[Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway]].

One of the busier stations on the line, the station used to be known as '''Walkden High Level''' to differentiate it from the [[London and North Western Railway]]'s [[Walkden Low Level railway station]] (on the line from [[Manchester Exchange station|Manchester Exchange]] to [[Bolton Great Moor Street railway station|Bolton Great Moor Street]], which was closed to passengers in 1954).<ref>{{Citation |title=Walkden Low Level Station |url=http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/w/walkden_low_level/index.shtml |publisher=Subterranea Britannica |access-date=20 January 2010 }}</ref> It controlled a junction for the goods line to [[Ellesmere Colliery]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Davies|first=A.|title=Walkden Yard: The Lancashire Central Coalfield Workshops|year=2013|publisher=Amberley|location=Stroud|isbn=978-1-44561-705-3|page=23}}</ref>

First opened in 1888 with the line, it has only ever had two platform faces - when the line was quadrupled at the turn of the century, the two additional tracks were laid to the south and were not provided with platforms. The fast lines were subsequently decommissioned in November 1965 and lifted.

In February 2007 the Friends of Walkden Station community volunteer group was founded to campaign for improvements to the station's facilities and services.

One of the line's two remaining signal boxes was formerly located here (it acted as the 'fringe' box to Manchester Piccadilly signalling centre), but it and neighbouring Atherton Goods Yard box were both closed in the spring of 2013 and their semaphore signals replaced by colour lights worked from Piccadilly SCC.<ref>[https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2864366 Old Walkden station signal box in 2012] Whatley, Peter ''Geograph.org''; Retrieved 20 December 2016</ref>

==Facilities== The station has a staffed ticket office, though this is only staffed part-time (06:10 to 12:40 weekdays, 07:10 to 13:40 Saturdays, closed Sundays). A ticket machine is also available. Train running information is provided by digital display screens, automated announcements and timetable posters. No step-free access is possible, as the station is above street level and is reached via two flights of stairs.<ref>[http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/wkd/details.html Walkden station facilities] ''National Rail Enquiries''; Retrieved 20 December 2016</ref>

On 11 March 2020, The Chancellor of The Exchequer announced that Walkden Station would be one of 12 stations to receive Access for All funding from [[Network Rail]], in order to develop step-free access to the station.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Access for All – improving accessibility at railway stations nationwide |url=https://www.networkrail.co.uk/communities/passengers/station-improvements/access-for-all-improving-accessibility-at-railway-stations-nationwide/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=Network Rail |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In April 2023, a Park and Ride facility for 107 cars was opened by Salford City Council. The site also includes a bike storage shed for 32 bikes, electric charging stations for electric vehicles and motorcycle bays.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New park and ride in Walkden set to open • Salford City Council |url=https://www.salford.gov.uk/your-council/news/news-archive/news-from-march-2023/new-park-and-ride-in-walkden-set-to-open/ |access-date=2023-09-02 |website=www.salford.gov.uk}}</ref>

==Service== [[File:Walkden station entrance - geograph.org.uk - 823730 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|The entrance to Walkden railway station]] Monday to Saturday daytimes, two trains per hour go eastbound to Manchester Victoria and two per hour towards Wigan - both trains continue to {{rws|Wigan Wallgate}} westbound and one continues to {{rws|Headbolt Lane}} (down from three each way prior to the pandemic). Only one train per day (weekdays and Saturdays) continues to {{rws|Southport}} since the summer 2019 timetable change. All Sunday services continue to Southport.

Most Manchester departures continue along the [[Caldervale Line]] to {{rws|Todmorden}}, {{rws|Burnley Manchester Road}} and {{rws|Blackburn}} or to {{rws|Leeds}} via {{rws|Brighouse}}.<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>

On 18 December 2009 the [[Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive]] (GMPTE) voted to approve funding for a one-year trial of Sunday trains from Walkden, starting on 23 May 2010.<ref>{{citation|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8423290.stm|title=New Sunday services for rail line|work=BBC News|date=20 December 2009|access-date=13 January 2010}}</ref> This proved successful and now runs twice per hour in each direction (one Blackburn to Southport train and a second between Wigan and Manchester Victoria).

== References == {{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links== {{commons category}} {{stn art lnk|WKD}} * [http://www.my.opera.com/keithpalin/albums/showpic.dml?album=39636&picture=591170 Photo by Keith Palin] * [http://www.walkdenstation.org.uk Friends of Walkden Station campaign website.]

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

{{Greater Manchester main railway stations}} {{coord|53.5197|-2.3960|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]]