Littleborough railway station

Littleborough railway station serves the town of Littleborough in the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England.

Littleborough
National Rail
General information
LocationLittleborough, Rochdale
England
Grid referenceSD938162
Managed byNorthern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeLTL
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Opened1839
Passengers
2018/19Increase 0.467 million
2019/20Increase 0.483 million
2020/21Decrease 84,514
2021/22Increase 0.259 million
2022/23Increase 0.307 million
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

It lies on the Calder Valley line 13¾ miles (22 km) north of Manchester Victoria towards Halifax, Bradford Interchange and Leeds.

This is the last station on the Caldervale Line in the Greater Manchester area. It was one of the original Manchester and Leeds Railway station sites and for the first year of operation following its opening in July 1839, it was the temporary terminus of the line from Manchester (the section on through the Summit Tunnel towards Mirfield not being completed until 1841).[1] It did so again for some eight months after the December 1984 Summit Tunnel fire - passengers transferring between the trains to/from Manchester and a rail-replacement bus service onwards to Todmorden until repairs to the tunnel could be completed and the line reopened.

Facilities edit

The station's two platforms are staggered, with the Manchester-bound one (platform 1) the more southerly. Both have ramps & step-free access for disabled travellers. The station is staffed on a part-time basis (six days per week, mornings & early afternoons only), with the ticket office & waiting room on platform 2 open at these times. There are also shelters on both platforms & ticket vending machines available, so travellers can purchase tickets when the booking office is closed.[2]

Services edit

 
Station approach
 
Northern Rail 144007 leaving Platform 2 with a Manchester Victoria to Leeds service in 2009

Monday to Saturday daytimes, there is a half-hourly service from Littleborough to Manchester Victoria westbound and to Todmorden eastbound, with trains running alternately to Leeds via Dewsbury and to Blackburn via Burnley Manchester Road (the latter beginning at the May 2015 timetable change). Westbound trains continue beyond Manchester via Atherton to Headbolt Lane via Wigan Wallgate (since the May 2018 timetable change).

In the early morning, late evening and on Sundays, trains to Leeds operate via Halifax rather than Dewsbury. Sunday services run hourly each way to Blackburn and Leeds and twice each hour to Manchester.[3]

Preceding station   National Rail Following station
Smithy Bridge   Northern
Caldervale Line
  Walsden
    Todmorden

References edit

  1. ^ Bairstow, M. (1983), The Manchester & Leeds Railway (The Calder Valley Line), Wyvern Publishing, Skipton, ISBN 0-907941-06-0; p.12
  2. ^ Station Facilities for LittleboroughNational Rail Enquiries; Retrieved 19 November 2016
  3. ^ GB National Rail Timetable May 2023 Edition, Table 37 (Network Rail)

External links edit

Railways in Rochdale
Past, present and future
 
 
Broadley
 
 
Littleborough
Shawclough
and Healey
 
 
Smithy Bridge
Wardleworth
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rochdale
 
 
 
Newbold
Rochdale
Town Centre
 
 
 
Kingsway
Business Park
 
 
Milnrow
 
 
 
Newhey
Broadfield
 
 
 
Heywood
 
 
Castleton
 
 
 
Mills Hill
Middleton
 
 
 

53°38′34″N 2°05′41″W / 53.6429°N 2.0947°W / 53.6429; -2.0947