Belle Vue railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Belle Vue
code = BLV

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manager = Northern Rail
locale = Gorton
borough = Manchester
start = 1875
platforms = 2
lowusage0405 = 8,460
lowusage0506 = 10,138
lowusage0607 = 8,467

Belle Vue railway station serves Gorton and Belle Vue in Manchester.

It was built by the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee in 1875 on the line between New Mills and Manchester London Road (now Piccadilly).

As a joint venture of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the Midland Railway it was a shorter route than the previous one through Hyde Junction and was used by the latter's main line expresses from London, until 1880 when they began running via Stockport Tiviot (or Teviot as it was originally known) Dale into Manchester Central

It was popular for visitors visiting Belle Vue Zoological and Pleasure Gardens, set up by John Jennison in 1836. Covering some 45 acres, besides flower gardens and lakes, it featured a fairground and a zoo, which frequented by school parties well into the 20th century, but has now largely disappeared. The zoo closed in August 1977. The amusement park was closed in 1980 and the land sold off in 1982. The site itself was demolished in 1986. Since then usage of the station plummeted. All that remains of the original station is that part of the footbridge which crosses the lines.

In July 2008, local woman Veronica Bell was killed by a train after she jumped down onto the track. [ [http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1058822_son_sees_mum_killed_by_train Son sees mum killed by train (Manchester Evening News)] ]

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