Ashton-under-Lyne railway station

Ashton-under-Lyne
Location
Place	Ashton-under-Lyne
Local authority	Tameside
Grid reference	SJ938993
Operations
Station code	AHN
Managed by	Northern Rail
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.325 million
2005/06	0.338 million
2006/07	0.338 million
2007/08	0.344 million
2008/09	0.451 million
2009/10	0.461 million
2010/11	0.519 million
History
Opened 13 July 1846 (13 July 1846)
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
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Ashton-under-Lyne from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Ashton-under-Lyne railway station serves Ashton-under-Lyne, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Huddersfield Line 6½ miles (10 km) east of Manchester Victoria and is operated by Northern Rail.

History

Opened by the Ashton, Stalybridge and Liverpool Junction Railway, then served by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and the London and North Western Railway, the station was taken into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway during the Grouping of 1923. It then passed to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

When Sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways under arrangement with the Greater Manchester PTE until the Privatisation of British Railways. Usage at this time was relatively low and trains called only rarely (see BR timetable 1974, 1975 et seq.). The train service was not regular and in essence operated at peak times only.

Other stations in Ashton

There were once three stations in the town: Charlestown, Park Parade and Oldham Road. Also, Guide Bridge, a few miles away, was known as Ashton & Hooley Hill and then Ashton in its earliest years.

Charlestown Station — the present Ashton-under-Lyne station — was owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, who ran services between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge. The London and North Western Railway also ran services along the line, most only calling at Ashton and Stalybridge before continuing to Leeds. The station once sported a large booking hall, where the car park is currently, as well as a substantial canopy.^[1]

Park Parade Station was located on the Guide Bridge–Stalybridge line; the only remains of the station is the "Station Inn", a short stroll away.

Oldham Road Station was located on the line to Oldham (originally owned by the Oldham, Ashton and Guide Bridge Railway), which continued to Park Bridge before reaching Clegg Street, Oldham.

The current station

The station

Ashton-under-Lyne station consists of a island platform, is wheelchair accessible and also has a passenger lift. This was installed due to the 1-in-8 gradient between street level and platform level^[2] Features of the station include a waiting room, ticket desk, wheelchair-accessible toilet and a hot-drinks vending machine.

Services

Monday to Saturdays, there is a half-hourly link from Ashton-under-Lyne to and from Manchester Victoria westbound and an hourly service to Huddersfield (eastbound). Passengers can change at Stalybridge to join Transpennine Express services to Leeds and beyond.

During the evenings and on Sundays there is an hourly service to both Manchester Victoria and Huddersfield.

Local train approaching Ashton (Charlestown) Station in 1951

References

1. ^ http://buffetbar.i8.com/photo.html - A selection of useful photographs showing this booking hall, as well as the platform.
2. ^ The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society, LYR Branchline 14 - "The Ashton and Stalybridge Branch", by Robert F Hartley. (Page 44)

• Butt, R. V. J. (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. ISBN 1-8526-0508-1. OCLC 60251199. 
• Jowett, Alan (2000). Jowett's Nationalised Railway Atlas (1st ed.). Penryn, Cornwall: Atlantic Transport Publishers. ISBN 0-9068-9999-0. OCLC 228266687. 

• The Manchester and Leeds Railway by Martin Bairstow
• The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society, LYR Branchiline 14 - "The Ashton and Stalybridge Branch", by Robert F Hartley.

External links

[ v t e ] Tameside Lines

Legend To Oldham To Saddleworth Park Bridge To Saddleworth Mossley Micklehurst Oldham Road Staley and Millbrook To Manchester Droylsden Stalybridge Ashton Charlestown Ashton West Ashton-under-Lyne Ashton Moss Ashton Moss Audenshaw Ashton Park Parade Dukinfield Central Dukinfield and Ashton Droylsden Cemetery Road To Manchester Guide Bridge Hooley Hill Fairfield To Hyde Road Hyde North To Manchester Flowery Field Denton Hyde Central Newton for Hyde To Marple Godley To Stockport Hattersley Broadbottom To Glossop/Hadfield

• "SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST BOYS AT ASHTON": Placing Obstructions on the Railway" (news story from 1901, describing vandalism at Oldham Road)

• Train times and station information for Ashton-under-Lyne railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Manchester Victoria towards Liverpool Lime Street		Northern Rail Huddersfield Line		Stalybridge terminus
Manchester Victoria terminus limited service towards Liverpool Lime Street		Northern Rail Huddersfield Line		Stalybridge towards Huddersfield
	Disused railways
Droylsden		L&YR Huddersfield Line		Stalybridge (L&Y)

Coordinates: 53°29′29″N 2°05′39″W / 53.4913°N 2.0943°W / 53.4913; -2.0943