Ellesmere Port railway station

Ellesmere Port Add→{{rail-interchange}}
General information
Location	Cheshire West and Chester
Managed by	Merseyrail
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	ELP
Fare zone	G1
Key dates
1 July 1863	opened as Whitby Locks
1 September 1870	renamed Ellesmere Port

Ellesmere Port railway station is located in the town of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England. It is the terminal station of two lines on separate rail networks. The station is one of the termini of the Wirral Line of the Merseyrail network. The station is also the terminus of Northern Rail's Ellesmere Port to Warrington Bank Quay line.

History

The station is situated on the branch of the Birkenhead Railway from Hooton to Helsby which opened in 1863. The station itself opened on 1 July 1863, as Whitby Locks. It was renamed Ellesmere Port on 1 September 1870. The station building has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.

Ellesmere Port became part of the Merseyrail network in 1994, when the line from Hooton was electrified and through train services to Liverpool's city centre via Birkenhead commenced.

Facilities

The station is staffed from Monday to Friday, between 06:05 and 14:00, and is unstaffed otherwise. The station has platform CCTV, a 109-space car park and a cycle rack with 10 spaces. Each platform has a waiting shelter. There are live electronic departure and arrival screens, on the platform, for passenger information. There is a payphone, next to the entrance, on platform 1. The station has vending machines, within the station concourse, next to the booking office. Platform 1, for Merseyrail services, can be accessed by ramp, for passengers with wheelchairs or prams. Platform 2, for Northern Rail services, can only be accessed by staircase. Cross-platform access, within the station, is also by staircase only. Platform access has not been modernised to the standard of that at Hooton.

There has been a recent experiment, on Saturdays, to see whether the booking office can justify being opened at the weekend. At other times, passengers may purchase tickets from the Ticket Vending Machine located on the platform. This machine can issue tickets to any destination on the rail network. Passengers failing to purchase a ticket will be liable for a Penalty fare if they board a Merseyrail service without obtaining a valid ticket.

Work is currently underway on improvements to the station office building on platform 1 which will include a new and improved ticket office, a new toilet, a new café and retain most of the building's classic features and works could be completed by late 2014.

Services

Merseyrail Wirral Line services operate every 30 minutes each day (including Sunday) towards Birkenhead and Liverpool. These services are all provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 508 EMUs.

As of June 2012, Northern Rail operates a limited service (four trains per day each way, Mondays to Saturdays only) to Helsby via Stanlow & Thornton and Ince & Elton, two of which continue to Warrington Bank Quay (one on Saturdays).

• Platform 1 serves the westbound Merseyrail electric services.
• Platform 2 serves the infrequent eastbound Northern Rail diesel train services to Warrington Bank Quay via Helsby.

Gallery

• 
  The footbridge and exterior of the station.
• 
  A Merseyrail Class 507 waits at the station.
• 
  The station building viewed from the drop-off point.
• 
  The view towards Stanlow.

See also

• Listed buildings in Ellesmere Port

References

Sources

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. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.

External links

• Train times and station information for Ellesmere Port railway station from National Rail
• Station information for Ellesmere Port railway station from Merseyrail
• Uk mapping via yahoo

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Overpool		Merseyrail Wirral Line		Terminus
Terminus		Northern Rail Ellesmere Port to Warrington Line Mondays-Saturdays only		Stanlow and Thornton