Midge Hall railway station

Midge Hall
Location
Place	Midge Hall
Area	South Ribble
Coordinates	53°42′11″N 2°44′43″W / 53.7031°N 2.7454°W / 53.7031; -2.7454Coordinates: 53°42′11″N 2°44′43″W / 53.7031°N 2.7454°W / 53.7031; -2.7454
Grid reference	SD509231
Operations
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Platforms	2
History
October 1859 (1859-10)	Opened
2 October 1961 (1961-10-02)	Closed
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z
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Midge Hall railway station was located in Midge Hall, Leyland, closing to passengers in 1961, although the line still exists as the Ormskirk Branch Line.

History

The railway line between Preston and Walton was proposed by the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway (LO&PJ) and authorised in 1846; later that year the LO&PJ was amalgamated with the East Lancashire Railway (ELR), which opened the line in 1849.^[1]

In August 1859 the ELR was amalgamated with the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR),^[2] and in October that year, the station at Midge Hall was opened.^[3] It was 23+¹⁄₄ miles (37.4 km) from Liverpool (Tithebarn Street), and replaced an earlier station at Cocker Bar, 23 miles (37.0 km) from Liverpool.^[4]

The station was closed by British Railways on 2 October 1961.^[3]

Trains still stop at Midge Hall signal box to exchange a token for the single line onward to Rufford- this is a vestige of the 1970s and early 1980s, when the then recently singled branchline retained double track from Midge Hall into Preston.^{[citation needed]}

Reopening proposals

There have been talks amongst the local community for the possible reopening of the station. A study held in 1991 concluded that there would be a forecasted 7500 journeys per annum using the station, generating roughly £15,000 in revenue with an average cost of £2 per journey. This was deemed uneconomical due to the high costs of construction (£500,000) coupled with £15,000 in ongoing annual maintenance costs, which would barely be covered by the revenue alone.^[5]

A meeting held in 2003 concluded that whilst forecasted passenger numbers will likely be higher than that of the 1991 study (due largely to residential development in recent years), numbers may only be in the region of 10,000 to 30,000 and revenue from these passengers would likely still not cover the costs for reopening and thus remains uneconomical to reopen.^[5]

References

1. ^ Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway, volume 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. pp. 136,138. ISBN 0 7153 4352 1. 
2. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 123
3. ^ ^{a b} Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 159. ISBN 1 85260 508 1. R508. 
4. ^ Marshall 1969, p. 138
5. ^ ^{a b} "Presentation on the possible reinstatement of Midge Hall Station". Lancashire County Council. 28 January, 2003. http://www3.lancashire.gov.uk/council/meetings/displayFile.asp?FTYPE=A&FILEID=1626. Retrieved 2009-08-23. 

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Preston Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Ormskirk Branch Line		Croston Line and station open
Lostock Hall Line closed, station open