Altrincham Interchange

Altrincham
Altrincham Interchange; the railway platforms to the left, and the tram platforms to the right.
Location	Altrincham, Trafford England
Coordinates	53°23′15″N 2°20′50″W / 53.3875°N 2.3472°W / 53.3875; -2.3472Coordinates: 53°23′15″N 2°20′50″W / 53.3875°N 2.3472°W / 53.3875; -2.3472
Grid reference	SJ770879
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	Transport for Greater Manchester
Platforms	4 (2 National Rail, 2 Metrolink)
Other information
Station code	ALT
Fare zone	G
Classification	DfT category C2
Key dates
20 July 1849	Original MSJA railway station opens
3 April 1881	MSJA station replaced on current site
6 May 1974	Name changed from Altrincham and Bowdon to Altrincham
15 June 1992	Metrolink service starts
Passengers
2015/16	0.508 million
2016/17	0.569 million
2017/18	0.458 million
2018/19	0.397 million
2019/20	0.373 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Altrincham Interchange is a transport hub in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. It consists of a bus station on Stamford New Road, a Northern Trains-operated heavy rail station on the Mid-Cheshire Line, and a light rail stop which forms the terminus of Manchester Metrolink's Altrincham line. The original heavy rail element of the station was opened by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway as Altrincham and Bowdon railway station in April 1881, changing to Altrincham railway station in May 1974. The Metrolink element opened in June 1992. The Interchange underwent a complete redevelopment, at a cost of £19 million, starting in mid-July 2013. The new bus station opened officially on 7 December 2014.

History[]

A British Rail Class 304 at Altrincham in 1990

A Manchester Metrolink M5000 tram on Platform 1

The station was opened on 3 April 1881 as Altrincham & Bowdon by the Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway (MSJAR) to replace Altrincham (1st) railway station on Stockport Road and Bowdon station on Lloyd Street/Railway Street which both closed that day. All platforms were through, with Nos. 1 and 2 (nearest to the town) being used by the MSJAR.

The Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) trains from Manchester Central to Northwich and Chester Northgate used platforms 3 and 4. The CLC also operated a service from Stockport Tiviot Dale via Northenden to Altrincham, latterly using Sentinel steam railcars, but this service ceased in late 1939.

The station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. The station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Since 6 May 1974, the station has been named Altrincham.^[1] In 1975 a new booking office was opened on platform 4 to serve the car park on the site of the former goods yard. Also in 1975 work, including the demolition of the glass covered canopy over the station entrance, began to convert the former station forecourt on Stamford New Road into a bus station which opened in November 1976. Thereafter the combined bus/rail station was referred to as Altrincham Interchange.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways under arrangement with the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive until the privatisation of British Rail.

Regional Railways electric trains between Manchester and Altrincham ceased serving the station on 24 December 1991.^[2] The former electric train platforms (1 and 2) reopened for use by Metrolink on 15 June 1992.^[3]

A new roof for platform 1 costing £180,000 was installed in 2006. This platform had been uncovered since glazed panels were removed in 2003 due to safety concerns. The new roof is made of coated steel with clear panels to let in the light.^[4]

The station clock tower on Stamford New Road is a Grade II listed structure.^[5]

Redevelopment[]

The Interchange was redeveloped in 2013-15 by Laing O'Rourke. The project was partly funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund.^[6]

The interchange reopened on 7 December 2014, integrating Bus, Rail and Metrolink services again, although the lifts and some roofing in the railway station was not completed until 2015.^[7][8]

Facilities[]

Altrincham Interchange has four platforms. Two bay platforms are used for Metrolink services. Two further through platforms accommodate train services on the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester via Stockport.^[9] A bus station on the edge of the complex provides road-based interchange, and there is also a taxi rank.^[10]

Car access[]

There is provision for private cars to pick up and drop off passengers on the south side of the station (by Platform 4) off Oldfield Street; the two lane, six space bay marked "Passenger Drop-off" next to the car-park, with its own disabled wheelchair ramp and parking arrangements.^{[citation needed]}

Services[]

Rail[]

There is a basic hourly service in each direction on the Mid-Cheshire line on Mondays to Saturdays with two peak extras to/from Stockport. The through service to Blackpool North ceased to run from 15 December 2008.

On Sundays there were five trains to and from Chester but these all terminated here prior to the timetable change, there being no service onwards to Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly. Through passengers had to use the Metrolink service to continue their journey (connections were advertised in the 2007-8 timetable and National Rail tickets were valid for through trips). From December 2008 however, the service frequency has been improved (to two-hourly each way) and through running to Stockport & Manchester Piccadilly reinstated for the first time since the early nineties. These services continued to Wigan Wallgate and Southport until May 2018; they now all terminate at Manchester Piccadilly.^[11]

Metrolink[]

Altrincham
Metrolink station
A M5000 at Altrincham Interchange in Jan 2017.
Location	Altrincham, Trafford England
Coordinates	53°23′15″N 2°20′50″W / 53.38750°N 2.34722°W / 53.38750; -2.34722
Line(s)	Altrincham Line
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	In operation
Fare zone	4
History
Original company	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Pre-grouping	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
Post-grouping	Manchester, South Junction and Altrincham Railway
1992	Conversion to Metrolink operation
show Route map Legend to Bury & Piccadilly Deansgate-Castlefield ( Deansgate) Bridgewater Canal Cornbrook to Eccles, MediaCityUK & The Trafford Centre CLC Liverpool–Manchester line Trafford Bar to East Didsbury & Manchester Airport Old Trafford Stretford River Mersey  M60  Dane Road Sale Brooklands Timperley Navigation Road Altrincham This diagram: view talk
Location
Altrincham Location within Manchester_Metrolink

There is a frequent Metrolink service to Manchester and Bury, with a tram every six minutes to Manchester for most of the day (alternate trams running to Bury, avoiding Piccadilly). Monday-Saturday evening and Sunday journeys run every 12 minutes to Piccadilly, with journeys to Bury requiring a change of trams at Piccadilly Gardens.^[12]

Altrincham is in Metrolink fare zone 4.^[13]

Service pattern[]

• 5 trams per hour to Piccadilly via Sale
• 5 trams per hour to Bury (peak only)
• 1 train per hour to Piccadilly via Stockport
• 1 train per hour to Chester

Preceding station		Manchester Metrolink		Following station
Terminus		Altrincham – Bury Line		Navigation Road towards Bury
		Altrincham – Piccadilly Line		Navigation Road towards Piccadilly
	National Rail
Hale		Northern Trains Mid-Cheshire Line		Navigation Road
	Historical railways
Hale Line and station open		Cheshire Lines Committee Mid-Cheshire Line		Sale Line and station open
	Disused railways
Baguley		Cheshire Lines Committee Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway		Terminus

Bus services[]

Transport for Greater Manchester own and maintain the bus station located on the former station forecourt.

Local bus services operate to locations within Trafford. Buses also operate to Warrington, Stockport, Wythenshawe, Macclesfield, The Trafford Centre, Sale, Hale, Timperley, East Didsbury, Manchester Airport, Bowdon and Warrington. The main bus operator is Arriva North West but other significant operators include Stagecoach Manchester, Warrington's Own Buses, Warrington Coachways and Vale Travel.

References[]

• Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
• Dixon, Frank (1994). The Manchester South Junction & Altrincham Railway. Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-454-7.
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 978-0-906899-99-1. OCLC 228266687.

Further reading[]

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2013). Chester Northgate to Manchester. Middleton Press. figs. 77-85. ISBN 9781908174512. OCLC 892704846.

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Altrincham Interchange.

• Train times and station information for Altrincham Interchange from National Rail
• Metrolink Times and Stop Information
• Altrincham Metrolink area map
• Bus information for Altrincham Interchange from Transport for Greater Manchester
• Mid-Cheshire Community Rail Partnership
• Altrincham Interchange updates