New Brighton railway station

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For the station in Staten Island, New York, see New Brighton station (Staten Island Railway).

New Brighton
National Rail
Waiting to depart, New Brighton Railway Station (geograph 2985690).jpg
A Merseyrail Class 508 at New Brighton.
LocationNew Brighton, Wirral
England
Grid referenceSJ304939
Managed byMerseyrail
Transit authorityMerseytravel
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeNBN
Fare zoneB1
ClassificationDfT category E
Key dates
1888Opened
1938Electrified
Passengers
2016/17Decrease 0.864 million
2017/18Decrease 0.844 million
2018/19Increase 1.242 million
2019/20Increase 1.388 million
2020/21Decrease 0.382 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road
New Brighton on the Wirral Line

New Brighton railway station is situated in New Brighton, Wirral, England. It is situated at the end of the New Brighton branch of the Wirral Line 8.25 miles (13.28 km) west of Liverpool Lime Street on the Merseyrail network.

History[]

The station was built as the terminus of the Wirral Railway's route from Birkenhead Park station, opening in 1888. Through services via the Mersey Railway Tunnel to Liverpool commenced in 1938, when the London Midland and Scottish Railway electrified the line. The station had a goods yard, which closed on 30 October 1965.[1]

Between 1960 and 1971, diesel services on the Borderlands Wrexham to Bidston line ran through to New Brighton. This arrangement started when the service was converted to diesel trains and the branch to Seacombe station which was used as the terminus in North Wirral was closed. The service on the last leg from Bidston to New Brighton was very little used, apart from on peak summer days, as most passengers from the west of the Wirral and North Wales were heading for Liverpool or Birkenhead. From 4 January 1971, the service was terminated at Birkenhead North and, from 2 October 1978, the terminus was cut back one more station to Bidston.[2][3]

From 1960, there was a direct diesel service from Chester Northgate station to New Brighton using mainly the Borderlands Line. The service ceased on 9 September 1968, before the closure of Northgate station.[4] The diesel trains normally used the northern face of the island platform at New Brighton, with the electric services using the southern face.

In 1983, work started on converting the old station master's house into a music recording studio. The studio opened for business in 1985 and was called Station House Studios.[5][6]

Incidents[]

In 1986, Gary Kelly, a 16-year-old boy, died from electrocution at the station after fleeing from Akinwale Arobieke, known locally as Purple Aki, who was believed to have been intimidating him. Arobieke was convicted of manslaughter, but the conviction was quashed on appeal after it was ruled that Arobieke had committed no crime in "standing and looking into trains".[7]

Facilities[]

The station is staffed, during all opening hours, and has platform CCTV.[8] There is a payphone, a station cafe and a vending machine, as well as a waiting room and toilets. There is, also, a booking office, live departure and arrival screens, for passenger information, and the terminus island platform also has a further sheltered waiting area.[9] The station has a drop-off point, and a cycle rack with four spaces and secure cycle storage for 10 cycles. The station has car parking for three vehicles. Both platforms and the ticket office are fully accessible to wheelchair users.[10]

Services[]

Current service levels are every 15 minutes to Liverpool during Monday to Saturday daytime, and every 30 minutes at other times.[11] These services are all provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 508 EMUs.

Gallery[]

  • British Rail Class 503s stabled at New Brighton, in 1983.

  • The station frontage.

  • Another view of the station, on Atherton Street.

  • A view of Portland Street road bridge, from the end of the platform.

  • View from Portland Street road bridge, in April 2020.

References[]

  1. ^ Mitchell & Smith 2013, fig. 116
  2. ^ Maund 2009, p. 189
  3. ^ "Railways at Bidston". Disused Stations. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Station Name: Chester Northgate". Disused Stations. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ^ Liverpool Echo, Wednesday January 9th, 1985
  6. ^ "Stationhouse Studios".
  7. ^ "The man who squeezes muscles". Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  8. ^ "New Brighton (NBN)". National Rail. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  9. ^ "New Brighton Plan". National Rail. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
  10. ^ "New Brighton train station". Merseyrail. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  11. ^ "Wirral Line timetable" (PDF). Merseyrail. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.

Sources[]

  • Maund, T.B. (2009). The Wirral Railway and its Predecessors. Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1-899-88938-9.
  • Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2013). Wrexham to New Brighton. West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781908174475. OCLC 859543196.

External links[]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Terminus   Merseyrail
Wirral Line
New Brighton Branch 		  Wallasey Grove Road
towards Liverpool Central
  Historical railways  
Terminus   London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Wirral Railway 		  Warren
Line open, station closed

Coordinates: 53°26′13″N 3°02′56″W / 53.437°N 3.049°W / 53.437; -3.049

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