Wigan North Western railway station

The Wigan Branch Railway opened on 3 September 1832 between the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Parkside Junction, in Newton-le-Willows, and Wigan. The original station in the town was located close to Chapel Lane, with three trains per day connecting with the Liverpool and Manchester trains at Parkside. The North Union Railway opened between Wigan and Preston on 31 October 1838 and so the station was relocated to its present position. The LNWR was formed as a result of the progressive amalgamation of various earlier lines, including the Grand Junction Railway in 1846. Accidents and incidents The station was the site of a fatal accident on 2 August 1873. As the train ran through Wigan North Western station the driver glanced back and saw sparks flying to the rear of the train. The first 15 carriages of the fast-moving train had passed safely through the station, but two wheels of the 16th coach had derailed at a set of facing points. A luggage van that had derailed completely, demolished a lineside shunter's cabin and lost its side in the process. However the following carriages had all derailed on the points and broken away from the train. They lay shattered at the start of the platform and on the passing loop behind it, leaving 13 dead and 30 injured. Only the last coach and rear brake-van were undamaged. The front portion of the train continued to Scotland 90 minutes later. ==Layout==

The station platforms are generally used for the following purposes: • Platform 1 is used for some services to Stalybridge via Bolton and Manchester Victoria on Sundays • Platform 2 was a bay platform but is no longer in use after platform 3 was extended at the end of 2020. The track serving it has been lifted and the face fenced off • Platform 3 is a bay platform, used by early morning and late evening Northern services to and , via and the Calder Valley (as the December 2022 timetable rerouted Wigan to Leeds services to operate from Wigan Wallgate); Sunday services to Manchester Victoria, via ; and as a reversing siding allowing trains and locomotives for Springs Branch depot to approach from and leave south of the depot as it can only be entered from the north. • Platform 4 is used for Avanti West Coast services to London Euston and and Northern Trains services to . • Platform 5 is for northbound services to Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. It is also used for services to Blackpool North • Platform 6 is used to terminate Merseyrail's City Line services arriving from the Liverpool–Wigan line, which is operated by Northern Trains, and also used rarely for Avanti services if no other platforms are available. == Passenger volume ==

The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April. ==Services==

Wigan North Western is served by three train operating companies; they run the following off-peak services in trains per hour/day (tph/tpd): Avanti West Coast • 1 tph to (having used the Trent Valley line) • 1 tp2h to (having used the Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line) • 1 tp2h to • 1 tph to , via • 1 tph to London Euston, via , and • 2 tpd to London Euston (from ) • 2 tpd to Blackpool North. Northern Trains • 2 tph to , via ; 1 tp2h on Sunday • 1 tph to Blackpool North. TransPennine Express • 4 tpd to Liverpool Lime Street • 3 tpd to Glasgow Central • 1 tpd to . ==See also==