Bury Knowsley Street railway station

Bury Knowsley Street is a former railway station in Bury.

Bury Knowsley Street
The station in 1963
General information
LocationBury, Bury
England
Coordinates53.58930°N 2.29916°W / 53.58930; -2.29916
Grid referenceSD803103
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-groupingLancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-groupingLondon Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 May 1848Station opens as Bury
February 1866renamed Bury Market Place
1888renamed Bury Knowsley Street
5 October 1970Station closed[1]

History
What was left of Knowsley Street railway station in 1988

The station was first opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway on 1 May 1848 (as the eastern terminus of the Liverpool and Bury Railway) originally being named simply Bury.[1] Services ran east to Heywood and Rochdale and west to Bolton and Wigan Wallgate (and also towards Chorley, Liverpool and Preston). There was also a connection from here northwards to neighbouring Bolton Street station on the East Lancashire Railway line from Clifton Junction to Bacup and Accrington. The station was renamed twice: to Bury Market Place in February 1866, and to Bury Knowsley Street in 1888.[1] The line and station were closed on 5 October 1970 as part of continuing cutbacks in British Rail services and the line west to Bolton subsequently dismantled.

Accident

On 19 January 1952, the station footbridge collapsed under the weight of a large crowd entering the station following a football match. Two people were killed and 173 injured when the metal struts supporting the bridge's footway failed. No trains were in the station at the time.[2]

The accident report determined that while the bridge's design was adequate, it had been inadequately maintained and the metal struts which failed had almost certainly required replacement for 10 or 15 years prior to the accident.[3]

Current

There is no physical trace of the station buildings (which were demolished soon after passenger services ended) or the disused platforms (these survived until the early 1990s). The line from Bury Bolton Street to Heywood through the station site was reopened in 2003 by the East Lancashire Railway. This had stayed open to freight (along with the old ELR route to Rawtenstall) until December 1980 and had previously (from March 1980 until final closure) crossed what is now the Manchester Metrolink line to Bury Interchange (though it was still BR-operated at that time) on the level. In order to reopen the route, a bridge (with steep approach gradients on either side known locally as the ski-jump) was constructed in the early 1990s and opened to traffic in July 2003[4] to carry the ELR line over the Metrolink and this now occupies the old station site.

The route towards Bolton is now overgrown and derelict and has been blocked at Bradley Fold by a housing development.

References
  1. Butt, R. V. J. (October 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. pp. 49, 50. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
  2. Thomson, David (17 September 2007). "Reader recalls tragedy at Knowsley Street station". The Bury Times. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  3. "Minister of Transport Accident Report" (PDF). Railwaysarchive.co.uk. 1952. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  4. Disused Stations - Bury Bolton Street, Disused Stations; Retrieved 3 March 2016
Preceding station   Disused railways   Following station
Broadfield   Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway   Bury Bolton Street
    Radcliffe Black Lane
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