Wigan North Western
Location
Place	Wigan
Local authority	Wigan
Operations
Station code	WGN
Managed by	Virgin Trains
Platforms in use	6
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Passenger Usage
2004/05 **	1.254 million
History
Key dates	Opened (on present site) 1838 Rebuilt 1971- 72
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z   Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ... National Rail uses the BR double-arrow logo National Rail is a brand name of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC). ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: | ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... See also List of closed railway stations in Britain Categories: Railway stations in the United Kingdom | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: Railway stations in the United Kingdom | Lists of places ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ... Station Name Postcode External links to Map of station at MultiMap Code External links to livedepartureboards. ... Categories: British railway stations | Lists of places ...
Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Wigan North Western.   * 2002/03 Disclaimer  ** 2004/05 Disclaimer
UK Rail Portal

Wigan North Western railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. Image File history File links Portal. ... Passengers bustle around the typical grand edifice of Londons Broad Street Station in 1865. ... Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, North West England. ... Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England and has a population of 2. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ...

It is a moderately-sized station on the West Coast Main Line. It is operated by Virgin Trains, and is also served by Northern Rail. Central Trains offer a Citilink service to Preston during the evening rush hour on weekdays; this service also calls at Wigan. The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ... Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... Northern Rail is a train operating company that has operated local services in the north of England since 2004. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Preston Railway Station in Preston, Lancashire is on the West Coast Main Line. ...

Wigan's other main station is Wigan Wallgate, which is about 200 metres away, on the opposite side of the street named Wallgate. Both stations are centrally located on the southern fringe of Wigan town centre. Wigan Wallgate railway station is one of two main railway stations serving the town of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. ...

Description

The station was rebuilt in the early 1970s. The tracks are above street level and access to the six platforms is via a subway and stairs. Recently the goods lifts were modified to allow public access. Template:A year The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ...

• Platform 1 is used very occasionally, usually for a diverted service to Manchester from Preston.
• Platforms 2 and 3 are bay platforms, used by the few daily services to Manchester.
• Platforms 4 and 5 are for through services on the West Coast Main Line: platform 4 for southbound services and platform 5 northbound.
• Platform 6 is used by services arriving from the Liverpool-Wigan Line. Until recently the Liverpool services used platforms 2 and 3 while platform 6 was used infrequently. However, the construction of a new track between Wigan North Western and the junction of the line from Liverpool via St Helens has eliminated the need for these trains to cross the busy West Coast Main Line.

The platforms have heated waiting rooms. The British Transport Police have an office on Platform 4 near the station's cafe. This article is becoming very long. ... Preston is a city and local government district in North West England. ... This article is becoming very long. ... The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ... The Liverpool to Wigan Line is a railway line in the north-west of England, between Liverpool Lime Street and Wigan North Western. ... The British Transport Police (BTP) is a non-Home Office national police service responsible for policing the railway system throughout Great Britain. ...

Services

The station is served by both of Virgin Trains' franchises. There is an hourly service on the West Coast Main Line from London Euston, which continues northwards to Preston, Lancaster, Carlisle and Glasgow Central. There is also an hourly service in the opposite direction generally calling at Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe, Milton Keynes Central, Watford Junction and finally London Euston. It is also served by Virgin's Cross Country franchise, with services from Birmingham New Street and the south to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh. There is also Central Trains' new service from Birmingham New Street to Preston, currently one train per day. Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... Euston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London and in the London Borough of Camden. ... Preston Railway Station in Preston, Lancashire is on the West Coast Main Line. ... Lancaster railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Lancaster in Lancashire. ... Carlisles Citadel railway station Carlisle railway station, also known as the Citadel station, serves the Cumbrian town of Carlisle. ... The Heilanmans Umbrella Inside Glasgow Central, looking south east across the main concourse Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse Glasgow Central Station is the larger of the two main-line railway stations in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Warrington Bank Quay is a mainline train station serving the U.K. town of Warrington. ... Crewe station is one of the most historic railway stations in the world. ... Milton Keynes Central is a railway station that serves the central area of Milton Keynes. ... Watford Junction station is a train station in Watford, United Kingdom. ... Euston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London in the London Borough of Camden. ... A Class 220 Voyager at Bristol. ... The tracks approaching the station Birmingham New Street is a major railway station located in the centre of the city of Birmingham, England. ... Waverley Station is the main railway station in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. ...

Northern Rail operate a half-hourly local service from Liverpool Lime Street, along the Liverpool-Wigan Line via St Helens Central. There is also an hourly service from Liverpool which continues north along the West Coast Main Line to Preston, then usually on to Blackpool North (although some run to Morecambe or Barrow-in-Furness). The main entrance to Liverpool Lime Street Station Liverpool Lime Street railway station on Lime Street is the mainline railway station serving Liverpool, England. ... St Helens Central railway station serves the town of St Helens, Merseyside United Kingdom. ... Blackpool North railway station is the terminus of the Blackpool branch line from Preston. ... Morecambe railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Morecambe in Lancashire. ... Barrow-in-Furness railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria. ...

Northern Rail also operates occasional services to Manchester Victoria and Manchester Piccadilly. In recent years, most services from Manchester have used Wigan Wallgate station. Manchester Victoria Manchester Victoria railway station is the second of Manchesters mainline railway stations, now being much less important than Manchester Piccadilly station. ... Interior shot of the station with the Victorian trainshed. ...

Northern Rail services are operated by a mix of Pacer and Sprinter units. Central Trains use a Class 350 EMU for their service to Preston. The PACER project, carried out at Los Alamos National Laboratory in the mid-1970s, explored the possibility of a fusion power system that would involve exploding small hydrogen bombs (fusion bombs)—or, as stated in a later proposal, fission bombs—inside an underground cavity. ... The Sprinter is a microcomputer made by Peters Plus, Ltd. ...

Virgin Trains services southwards to London Euston and northwards to Carlisle and Glasgow are always operated by electric Pendolino trains. Other destinations are always served by diesel Voyager units. Virgin Trains is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. ... Euston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London and in the London Borough of Camden. ... Carlisles Citadel railway station Carlisle railway station, also known as the Citadel station, serves the Cumbrian town of Carlisle. ... The Heilanmans Umbrella Inside Glasgow Central, looking south east across the main concourse Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse Glasgow Central Station is the larger of the two main-line railway stations in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Pendolino (from Italian Pendolo [pndolo] Pendulum and -ino, a diminutive suffix) is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, United Kingdom and Switzerland. ... Look up voyager in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

History

Key dates

The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the worlds first intercity passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and operated for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. ... Location within the British Isles. ... The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, formed in 1834 and whose line was fully opened in 1838, running from the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Parkside, near Warrington, northwards to Preston, via Wigan. ... The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ... The Grand Junction Railway (GJR) was an early railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1833 and 1846. ... The Caledonian Railway was a Scottish railway company which was grouped into the London Midland and Scottish Railway by the Railways Act 1921 in 1923. ... Euston station, also known as London Euston, is a major railway station to the north of central London and in the London Borough of Camden. ... The Heilanmans Umbrella Inside Glasgow Central, looking south east across the main concourse Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse Glasgow Central Station is the larger of the two main-line railway stations in Glasgow, Scotland. ... 50050 Fearless at Reading, 1975. ... Class 86/6, nos. ... No. ... Modern three-phase AC locomotive (DBAG Class 152) A GG1 An electric locomotive is a locomotive powered by electric motors which draws current from an overhead wire (overhead lines), a third rail, or an on-board storage device such as a battery or a flywheel energy storage system. ...

Withdrawn passenger services

Being located on the West Coast Main Line, Wigan North Western has retained regular trains to a wide range of destinations. However there were several local passenger services from the station which fell under the Beeching Axe and earlier, and the lines have since been closed:- The WCML running alongside the M1 motorway at Watford Gap in Northamptonshire A Virgin Pendolino and freight train on the WCML The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important intercity railway lines in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system. ... Many railway lines were closed as a result of the Beeching Axe The Beeching Axe is an informal name for the British Governments attempt in the 1960s to control the spiralling cost of running the British railway system. ...

• Blackburn via Chorley (passenger service a pre-Beeching withdrawal in January 1960).
  Trains departed northwards before diverging from the main line at Boar’s Head Junction, 3.6km (2¼ miles) north of Wigan. From Boar’s Head, a line ran to Adlington where it joined the Manchester to Preston Line as far as Chorley. From Chorley another branch line ran to Cherry Tree station and joined the existing line from Preston to Blackburn. In addition to the local service, this route was also occasionally used by long distance trains when these were diverted over the Settle and Carlisle line.

• Manchester (Exchange) via Tyldesley (local passenger service withdrawn November 1964, with some expresses continuing until 1969).
  The line from Wigan to Manchester Exchange via Tyldesley and Eccles was the L&NWR’s route from Manchester to the north and Scotland. Before closure, this route was used both by local trains and by long-distance expresses between Manchester and destinations such as Windermere and Glasgow. Trains from Wigan North Western to Manchester Exchange travelled south for 2.2km (1½ miles) along the main line before diverging onto the Tyldesley line at Springs Branch Junction.

• Local Trains along main line
  Passenger services were provided to a number of smaller stations located along the main line. Except for Leyland, these stations are now closed. Closure of some of these smaller stations started before the Beeching report (for example Boar's Head and Bamfurlong in 1949 and Golborne in 1962) and was completed in the late 1960's.

Local trains called at:-

Northwards	Southwards
Boar’s Head	Bamfurlong
Standish Junction	Golborne
Coppull	Lowton
Balshaw Lane & Euxton	Newton-le-Willows
Leyland	Earlestown
Farington	Vulcan Halt
Preston	Warrington Bank Quay

• Note that the closed station at Balshaw Lane & Euxton was at a different location to the new station named Euxton Balshaw Lane, which opened in 1998.
• There are currently proposals to re-open some of the closed local stations (e.g Golborne), but none has been approved at this stage.

Adlington is a town in Lancashire, England near the West Pennine Moors and the larger town of Chorley. ... The Manchester to Preston Line runs from the city of Manchester to Preston, Lancashire. ... Chorley railway station is now linked with its interchange bus and coach station, which for this small Lancashire market town is a significantly sized venture. ... Cherry Tree is a very small village near Blackburn in East Lancashire. ... Preston Railway Station in Preston, Lancashire is on the West Coast Main Line. ... Blackburn railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Blackburn in Lancashire. ... The Settle–Carlisle Railway (S&C) is a 72 mile (115 km) long main railway line in northern England. ... Manchester Exchange Station was a railway station located to the north of the city centre. ... Tyldesley (pronounced tilds-lee) is a town and component area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, north-west England. ... Location within the British Isles Eccles is a Small Town in the northwest of England that is in the metropolitan borough of the City of Salford but not, traditionally, part of Salford. ... The London and North Western Railway (LNWR) was formed in 1846 by the merger of three railway companies - the Grand Junction Railway, London and Birmingham and Manchester and Birmingham. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Windermere railway station is the railway station that serves Windermere in Cumbria. ... The Heilanmans Umbrella Inside Glasgow Central, looking south east across the main concourse Inside Glasgow Central, looking north east across the main concourse Glasgow Central Station is the larger of the two main-line railway stations in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Manchester Exchange Station was a railway station located to the north of the city centre. ... Leyland Railway Station was formerly Golden Hill, the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was re-named Leyland soon after opening. ... Newton-le-Willows railway station Newton-le-Willows railway station is a railway station in the town of Newton-le-Willows, in the borough of St Helens in the north-west of England. ... Leyland Railway Station was formerly Golden Hill, the name of the street and area in which the station is based, but was re-named Leyland soon after opening. ... Earlestown station buildings viewed from platform 1 Earlestown station ticket office Earlestown railway station is a railway station at Earlestown near Newton-le-Willows in Merseyside, England. ... Preston Railway Station in Preston, Lancashire is on the West Coast Main Line. ... Warrington Bank Quay is a mainline train station serving the U.K. town of Warrington. ... The station at Euxton Balshaw Lane returned to the national rail map in 1998. ...

Other stations in Wigan

Wigan had a third station: Wigan Central.

Wigan Central was located in Station Road, still in the town centre but some way away from the two main stations (at North Western and Wallgate). It was a terminal station on the branch line to Glazebrook and on to Manchester Central.

Wigan Central was opened by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (later to become the Great Central) in October 1892 and was closed to passengers in November 1964. The Great Central Railway (GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 on the completion of its London Extension. ...

Historical References

• A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain – vol.10 The North West.  G.O.Holt, pub. David & Charles (1986) ISBN 0-946537-34-8

• Electric Euston to Glasgow.  O.S.Nock, pub. Ian Allan (1974) ISBN 0-7110-0530-3

• A Lancashire Triangle – Part 1.  D.J.Sweeney, pub. Triangle Publishing (1996) ISBN 0-9529333-0-6

Train Spotters Guide

A lengthy session at Wigan North Western will normally see Intermodal, Enterprise, Departmental and MGR traffic. Freight is operated by EWS, Freightliner and DRS. On specific days, you may see the nuclear flask and acid freight trips operated by DRS.

Certainly, Wigan is rarely busy with freight before 21:00. You will normally expect to see an average of 1 freight trains every two hours during the daytime. At night however, expect to see an average of 2 or 3 freight trains an hour.

Nowadays, most of the freight is hauled by the Class 66's. However a few freight is still hauled by Class 86 and 90 electrics, particularly the Freightliners, although most of them run through during the hours of darkness. A small number of EWS freight trains are also handled by Class 92 electrics. Class 20s and 37s are used almost exclusively on the somewhat erratic nuclear flasks, acid tanks and serco trains. These trains are operated by DRS. Other than the DRS trains, it is very rare to see a diesel that is not a class 66 at Wigan.

Wigan Wallgate station sees regular freight traffic from Knowsley. This consists of one or two enterprises per day, utilising a Class 66 from Warrington Arpley. DRS have also ran a trial intermodal service from Knowsley to Cardiff Wentloog but nothing has come from it.

Wigan North Western is frequently patrolled by British Transport Police. The police and other staff know the regular spotters and have no problem with trainspotting or photography. However if you are not regular, they may question you and ask what you are doing.

Both Wigan North Western and Wallgate are often very busy with passengers.

Photography at Wigan North Western is not easy as many freights will be passing at full speed. The south end of platform 5 offers the best position for photography although the north end of platform 4 is a good place for photographing the rear of stopping units and any northbound services.

External links

• Train times and station information for Wigan North Western railway station from National Rail
• Street map and aerial photo of Wigan North Western railway station from Multimap.com

• Historic map of railways in Wigan

West Coast Main Line

Legend Edinburgh Waverley for ECML Haymarket Glasgow Central     for SPT Network Motherwell for SPT Network Carstairs for SPT Network Carstairs South Junction Lockerbie Carlisle for Tyne Valley Line,    Cumbrian Coast Line and    Glasgow South Western Line Penrith Oxenholme Lake District     for Windermere Line Lancaster Preston Wigan North Western Bolton Warrington Bank Quay Liverpool Lime Street Runcorn Weaver Junction Manchester Piccadilly Stockport Cheadle Hulme Junction Crewe North Junction Crewe Stoke-on-Trent Stone Junction Norton Bridge Junction Stafford Colwich Junction Lichfield Trent Valley Wolverhampton Tamworth Birmingham New Street Nuneaton Coventry Rugby for Birmingham Loop Northampton Milton Keynes Central Watford Junction London Euston