Greenfield railway station in the village of Greenfield, Greater Manchester, England, is on the Huddersfield Line 12 miles (20 km) northeast of Manchester Victoria. It is the final station in Greater Manchester before the West Yorkshire boundary. It is operated by Northern Trains although only TransPennine Express trains call at this station.
Greenfield  | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Greenfield railway station in 2014 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Greenfield, Oldham England |
| Coordinates | 53°32′20″N 2°00′51″W / 53.5388°N 2.0142°W |
| Grid reference | SD991046 |
| Managed by | Northern Trains[1] |
| Transit authority | Transport for Greater Manchester |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Train operators | TransPennine Express |
| Other information | |
| Station code | GNF |
| Classification | DfT category E |
| History | |
| Original company | London and North Western Railway |
| Pre-grouping | London and North Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1 August 1849 | Station opened |
| 1 September 1851 | Delph branch opened |
| 5 July 1856 | Oldham branch opened |
| Passengers | |
| 2018/19 |  0.399 million |
| 2019/20 | 0.432 million |
| 2020/21 |  84,746 |
| 2021/22 | 0.279 million |
| 2022/23 | 0.247 million |
| Location | |
 | |
| Notes | |
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road | |
History edit
The line through Greenfield was constructed by the Huddersfield and Manchester Railway, which was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway on 9 July 1847 before any of it was opened.[2] The section between Huddersfield and Stalybridge was opened on 1 August 1849, and the station at Greenfield was opened the same day.[2][3]
On 1 September 1851, the branch to Delph opened, which left the main line at Delph Junction,[4] about a mile to the north of Greenfield; Greenfield was the last station before the junction until Moorgate Halt opened in 1912. A second branch, to Oldham, opened on 5 July 1856; it left the main line just to the south of Greenfield.
Passenger services on the Delph & Oldham branches were withdrawn in May 1955,[5] with complete closure following in 1964. A defunct bay can still be seen at the Stalybridge end of the station, which was used by some trains from the Oldham direction. For many years the station had a peak-only service (see BR timetable 1974 et seq.).
The Beeching Report proposed closure of all stations between Stalybridge and Huddersfield. In 1968, half the stations were closed, including Diggle and Saddleworth, leaving only Greenfield to serve the Saddleworth area. That means that Greenfield is Saddleworth's only remaining railway station.
Facilities edit
Planning permission for the refurbishment of Greenfield railway station was granted in early 2008. This was to provide a new ticket office, refurbished waiting areas, toilets, and possibly a small shop, and was due to be completed in the Winter of 2008. After some problems with planning regulations and the original building contractor going into administration,[6] the new facilities were finally completed in Spring 2009. The ticket office is staffed on a part-time basis (Mondays to Saturdays, morning to early afternoon only) and there is also a ticket vending machine available. Step-free access is limited to the Manchester-bound platform only, as the Huddersfield-bound one can only be reached by footbridge.[7]
Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has been campaigning for Greenfield Station to have access to disability friendly facilities, as it remains one of the only stations in Greater Manchester lacking them.
Services edit
Following the Beeching Cuts in 1968, the station's services were drastically reduced to just a handful of journeys to Manchester and Huddersfield during peak times only, in line with the other local stations on the Huddersfield Line at the time.
From 1991 however a new improved hourly service in each direction was introduced, with hourly trains to Manchester Victoria calling at all stations as well as to Huddersfield.
Despite managing the station, Northern Trains do not provide any service to or from this station.
Since the May 2018 timetable change, TransPennine Express provide the regular stopping service here (hourly each way to Huddersfield and to Manchester Piccadilly).[8] There are no direct trains to Manchester Victoria, so passengers wishing to travel there must change at Stalybridge. Other TPE services pass through without stopping.
As of December 2023, some peak hour services continue eastbound beyond Huddersfield to either Hull or York via Wakefield Kirkgate on weekdays and Saturdays. Some other late night services terminate at Wakefield Kirkgate, as well as some other peak services terminating at Manchester Victoria.
The station is also handy for the nearby reservoirs of Dovestones, and Chew as well as the whole of Chew Valley in the Peak District National Park.
Since the closure of the Oldham Loop Line in 2009, Greenfield is now the only remaining railway station within the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mossley | TransPennine Express North TransPennine Huddersfield Line|Manchester Piccadilly to Leeds |
Marsden | ||
| Disused railways | ||||
| Grasscroft Line and station closed |
L&NW Delph Donkey Line |
Moorgate Halt Line open, station closed | ||
| Mossley Line and station open |
L&NW Huddersfield Line |
Saddleworth Line open, station closed | ||
Future edit
The Transpennine route through the station is being modernised and upgraded over the course of three Control Periods extending beyond 2029 . It is planned as part of the upgrade that electrification of the line through the station will occur.[9]
Gallery edit
-
A Northern Rail Class 142 at the station. -
A First TransPennine Express Class 185 passes through the station. -
The station building, on the Manchester-bound platform. -
The station in 1996.
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References edit
- ^ "National Rail Enquiries - Station facilities for Greenfield".
- ^ a b James, Leslie (November 1983). A Chronology of the Construction of Britain's Railways 1778-1855. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 57. ISBN 0-7110-1277-6. BE/1183.
- ^ Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 109. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- ^ James 1983, p. 65
- ^ "Delph Branch Closure Anniversary"Support The Rochdale Oldham Manchester rail lines group; Retrieved 10 June 2016
- ^ Rail station revamp hits the buffers Oldham News Retrieved 2009-03-20
- ^ Greenfield station facilities National Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 28 November 2016
- ^ Table 39 National Rail timetable, December 2023
- ^ "Coming soon Transpennine Railway Upgrade". Transpennine Route Upgrade. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
External links edit
- Train times and station information for Greenfield railway station from National Rail