Daisy Hill railway station
Railway station in Greater Manchester, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Daisy Hill railway station serves the Daisy Hill area of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the Manchester-Southport Line. It is located 14 miles (23 km) west of Manchester Victoria, with regular Northern Trains services to Salford, Swinton and Hindley, with onward trains to Kirkby and Southport.
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Daisy Hill  | |||||
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| General information | |||||
| Location | Westhoughton, Bolton, England | ||||
| Coordinates | 53.5394°N 2.5153°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SD659048 | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Transit authority | Greater Manchester | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | DSY | ||||
| Classification | DfT category E | ||||
| History | |||||
| Original company | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | ||||
| Pre-grouping | Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1 October 1888 | Station opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  50,132 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  0.150 million | ||||
| 2022/23 | 0.161 million | ||||
| 2023/24 | 0.188 million | ||||
| 2024/25 | 0.195 million | ||||
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History
The station opened on 1 October 1888.[1] It was the junction of a line to Blackrod which closed completely on 6 September 1965. On 21 November 1965 the two "fast lines" (which, unlike Hindley and Atherton, never had platforms) were taken out of use. These tracks were removed in early 1966, leaving only the lines adjacent to the central island platform.
In the 1970s, the service was sporadic,[2] yet the station was fully staffed. This continued until recent times. Until 2008, the station was continuously staffed for 18 hours. Since 2008, however, the ticket office has closed at 7.25pm (having opened at 6.25am).[3]
In 1974, the station was modernised to some extent. The old British Rail London Midland maroon signage was replaced, the platform canopy removed, the platform toilets and waiting room demolished (to be replaced by a "bus shelter") and the gas lighting replaced with modern electric lighting. The roadside building and ticket office, however, remained relatively untouched.
Historical services
For many years, Daisy Hill enjoyed what was virtually a peak-only service (although those peak hour trains were well used): there was a gap between 9.45am and 3.45pm for trains to Manchester Victoria. Since then the service has dramatically improved. First hourly and then half-hourly services were introduced.[4][needs independent confirmation]
The typical off-peak service before the pandemic was of three trains per hour to Manchester Victoria (with hourly extensions to one of Blackburn or to Leeds via the Caldervale Line), one to Kirkby and two to Wigan Wallgate. In the evening there are two trains an hour in each direction. The regular daytime service to Southport ended at the start of the winter 2019 timetable, with passengers now having to change at Wigan (except for a few peak-period and late evening trains). Some services also run to Wigan North Western rather than Wallgate.
In Autumn 2021, the service was reduced back to two per hour all day: one to Blackburn via Todmorden and the other to Leeds eastbound, with one each to Kirkby and Wigan North Western westbound. Most evening trains terminate at Wigan North Western, though there is one late night through train to Southport. On Sundays, there is an hourly service to Blackburn and Southport.
The December 2022 timetable change saw services from Leeds terminating at Wigan Wallgate instead of Wigan North Western, also calling at Hindley and Ince towards Wigan and calling at Moorside towards Leeds. The Kirkby to Blackburn services no longer call at Ince, Moorside and Walsden. There is still the usual 1 train per hour between Blackburn and Southport on a Sunday.
An extra train operates from Daisy Hill during weekday peak times, one train per day calling at all stations between Wigan North Western and Manchester Victoria during the morning and returning in the opposite direction during the evening.
The Kirkby services were temporarily curtailed to Rainford between May and September of 2023, until Headbolt Lane station opened and replaced Kirkby as the terminus and interchange between both the Blackburn and Liverpool services.
For many years (since 1966/7), there had been no trains serving Daisy Hill on Sundays. Northern Rail had aspirations to provide a Sunday service for the line for some years and, after a successful campaign, GMPTE provided funds. Sunday trains have run from May 2010.[5][6]
Facilities
The station is staffed. Information screens in the booking hall show real-time departure information from both platforms, with electronic displays on the platforms and pre-recorded automated announcements.[3]
Bus stops that provide connections to much of Westhoughton are just outside the station. There is no taxi rank, although a pay phone is found in the booking hall with taxi numbers and other local information. There are no toilet or refreshment facilities. There is a car park with 77 spaces.[3]
The station's island platform is inaccessible (even with assistance) to wheelchair users, as the only means of access is via a staircase;[3] however, works are being carried out at the station for a lift to be installed as part of Northern's Access for All scheme.
Service
Northern Trains operates the following general off-peak service pattern in trains per hour (tph):[7]
- 1 tph to Wigan Wallgate
- 1 tph to Leeds
- 1 tph to Blackburn
- 1 tph to Headbolt Lane.
| Preceding station |  National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindley | Northern Trains Manchester–Southport line |
Hag Fold | ||
