Daisy Hill railway station

Daisy Hill railway station serves the Daisy Hill area of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.

Daisy Hill
Location	Westhoughton, Bolton England
Coordinates	53.5394°N 2.5153°W
Grid reference	SD659048
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	Greater Manchester
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	DSY
Classification	DfT category E
History
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 October 1888	Station opened
Passengers
2015/16	0.337 million
2016/17	0.298 million
2017/18	0.286 million
2018/19	0.286 million
2019/20	0.310 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Daisy Hill is one of the principal stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester. The station is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Hindley, with onward trains to Kirkby and Southport.

Due to considerable housing development in the area, it is now a well-used commuter station and (according to official Strategic Rail Authority figures) has in the past vied (with Atherton railway station and Walkden railway station) for the position of the most used station on the line. In the period 2004 to 2012 passenger usage has more than doubled. The slight drop in usage in 2006-07 may be due to statistical correction rather than genuine decline.[1] A substantial increase in usage (2008–09, see SRA figures right) was reported. Part of this was explained in the SRA notes as an attempt more accurately to include local (transport executive) tickets.

In the 1970s the service was sporadic,[2] yet the railway station was fully staffed. This continued until recent times. Until 2008, Daisy Hill railway station (unlike the then more frequently used next railway station of Hindley and the railway stations of many other major towns and even cities in Britain) was continuously staffed from before the first train to after the last – just over 18 hours. Since 2008, however, the railway station ticket office has closed at 7.25pm (having opened at 6.25am).[3] This is still a longer period of staffing than many other stations in the United Kingdom. The town's other station (Westhoughton railway station) which, until recently enjoyed an even greater patronage, has been unstaffed since 1974.

History

The railway station opened on 1 October 1888.[4] It was the junction of a line to Blackrod which closed completely on 6 September 1965. On 21 November 1965 the two "fast lines" (which, unlike Hindley and Atherton, never had platforms) were taken out of use. These tracks were removed in early 1966, leaving only the lines adjacent to the central island platform.

In 1974 Daisy Hill railway station was to some extent modernised. The old British Rail London Midland maroon signage was replaced, the platform canopy removed, the platform toilets and waiting room demolished (to be replaced by a "bus shelter") and the gas lighting replaced with modern electric lighting. The roadside building and ticket office, however, remained relatively untouched.

Location and facilities

The station is staffed. Information screens in the booking hall show real-time departure information from both platforms, with electronic displays on the platforms themselves that show the next and following train information and estimated arrival time. This is accompanied by automated announcements using the familiar female voice (same voice as heard in Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road, etc.) heard via speakers located both on the platform and in the booking hall.

Bus-stops that provide connections to much of Westhoughton are just outside the station. Daisy Hill village, with its few shops, church and cricket ground is five minutes by foot (turn left outside the station). Westhoughton town centre is fifteen minutes (leisurely) walk from the station (turn right) or three or four minutes by bus (service 540 - crossing the road as one leaves the station). There is no taxi rank, although a pay phone is found in the booking hall with taxi numbers and other local information. There are no toilet or refreshment facilities. There is a new (2008) car park with 77 places (to the right of the station as one leaves).

Daisy Hill railway station

1911 Map showing the station's location (top right)

The station's island platform remains totally inaccessible (even with assistance) to wheelchair users, as the only means of access is via a staircase.[3]

Service

For many years Daisy Hill enjoyed what was virtually a peak only service (although those peak hour trains were well used): the 1973 British Rail timetable (table 95) shows a gap between 9.45am and 3.45pm for trains to Manchester Victoria. Since then the service has dramatically improved. First hourly and then half-hourly services were introduced.

The typical off-peak service is of three trains per hour to Manchester Victoria (with hourly extensions to one of Blackburn or to Leeds via the Caldervale Line), one to Kirkby and two to Wigan Wallgate. In the evening there are two trains an hour in each direction. The regular daytime service to Southport ended at the start of the winter 2019 timetable, with passengers now having to change at Wigan (except for a few peak-period and late evening trains). Some services also run to Wigan North Western rather than Wallgate.

For many years (since 1966/7), there had been no trains serving Daisy Hill on Sundays. Northern Rail had aspirations to provide a Sunday service for the line for some years; and after a successful campaign GMPTE provided funds. Sunday trains ran from May 2010 (and continue to do so in the current winter 2019 timetable).[5][6]

For a number of years (in the early 2000s), there was (in the summer months), also one direct train each way to Blackpool North (via Wigan North Western).[7] This no longer operates in the current timetable.

References

1. http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1529
2. BR Timetable 1973
3. Daisy Hill station facilities National Rail Enquiries
4. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 75. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
5. "Friends of Walkden Station Weblog Archive" Retrieved 27 March 2016/
6. Table 82 National Rail timetable, December 2019
7. Great Britain National Rail Timetable May 2003 Edition, Table 95

External links

• Train times and station information for Daisy Hill railway station from National Rail
• Photos of the station and surrounding area