Garston railway station (Merseyside)

Garston railway station was a railway station in the Garston district of Liverpool, England. The station was located on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail suburban rail network. The station was closed in 2006 when it was replaced by Liverpool South Parkway, which is a combined bus and rail interchange. The proximity of the stations was so close the platforms of South Parkway nearly merged onto the Garston station's platforms.

Garston (Merseyside)
A Class 507 unit at Garston (Merseyside) railway station
General information
LocationGarston, Liverpool
England
Coordinates53.3572°N 2.8946°W / 53.3572; -2.8946
Grid referenceSJ405848
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original companyCheshire Lines Committee
Pre-groupingCheshire Lines Committee
Post-groupingCLC
London Midland Region of British Railways
Merseyrail
Key dates
1 April 1874 (1874-04-01)Opened as Garston
17 April 1972Closed
2 January 1978Reopened as Garston (Lancs)
1979Renamed Garston (Merseyside)
10 June 2006 (2006-06-10)Closed
Passengers
2002/03Increase141,022
2003/04SteadyStatistics not produced
2004/05Increase190,778
2005/06Increase 222,247
2006/07Decrease 42,886
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History
A 1913 Railway Clearing House map showing (left) railways in the vicinity of Garston

The station was opened on 1 April 1874 by the Cheshire Lines Committee.[1] It was served by local services between Liverpool Central, Warrington and Manchester, and also to Aintree Central on the North Liverpool Extension Line.

In 1960, the passenger service to Aintree was cut back to Gateacre. In 1966 services from Manchester were diverted to Liverpool Lime Street, leaving Garston with just the Gateacre-Liverpool train. This service continued until 17 April 1972, when Garston station closed[1] along with the line from Liverpool Central.

In 1978, the former CLC route through Garston was partially reinstated as part of the electrified Northern Line of Merseyrail, and the station reopened on 2 January 1978[1] as a single platform terminus for services from Kirkby. Prior to the 1972 closure, the station had been named simply Garston, but upon reopening in 1978, it became Garston (Lancs), which was changed in 1979 to Garston (Merseyside).[1] In 1983 services were extended further south to Hunts Cross and Garston once again became a through station with two platforms. In 1984 services were diverted to run to Southport instead of Kirkby. From the airports opening in 1933 until 1986 it was the nearest station to Liverpool Airport.

In 2004, work began on a combined rail-bus interchange at Liverpool South Parkway. The new station's proximity to Garston rendered the old station surplus to requirements. Garston closed on 10 June 2006 and Liverpool South Parkway opened the following day.

The station was demolished soon after closure,[2] but the access road with its original road markings still exist. As of the 5th of July 2022, there is a temporary construction crew at the station.

Services

At the time of closure, trains operated to Southport via Liverpool Central to the north, and Hunts Cross to the south at 15-minute intervals, Monday-Saturday daytimes. During evenings and all day Sundays, the frequency was every 30 minutes.

Preceding station Historical railways Following station
Cressington
Line and station open		   Merseyrail
Northern Line		   Hunts Cross
Line and station open

See also

References
  1. Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 101. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. "Disused Stations - Garston"Disused Station; Retrieved 10 May 2016
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