Daisy Hill railway station

Daisy Hill
Location
Place	Westhoughton
Local authority	Bolton
Operations
Station code	DSY
Managed by	Northern Rail
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	106,257
2005/06 *	115,920
2006/07 *	113,178
2007/08 *	115,652
2008/09 *	210,262
2009/10 *	216,216
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Greater Manchester
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Daisy Hill from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Daisy Hill railway station serves the Daisy Hill area of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England.

Daisy Hill is one of the principal stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester. The station is located 22 kilometres (14 mi) west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern Rail services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Hindley, with onward trains to Kirkby and Southport.

Due to considerable housing development in the area, it is now a well-used commuter station and (according to official Strategic Rail Authority figures) was (after Atherton) the most used station on the line, although in 2005-2006 this second place was "awarded" to Walkden station, and this continues with the new figures (from 2007-8, released march 2008). The slight drop in usage in 2006-7 may be due to statistical correction rather than genuine decline (see: [1] ) A massive increase in usage (2008–2009) has recently been reported (see right). Part of this isexplained in the SRA notes as an attempt more accurately to include local (transport executive) tickets.

An interesting aspect of Daisy Hill station is that, even when in the 1970s the service was sporadic (see BR Timetable 1973), the station was fully staffed. This continued until recent times. Until 2008, Daisy Hill station (unlike the more frequently used next station of Hindley and the stations of many other major towns and even cities in Britain) was continuously staffed from before the first train to after the last – just over 18 hours. Since 2008, however, the station ticket office has closed at 7.25pm (having opened at 6.25am), see: [2]). This is still a longer period of staffing than many other stations in the United Kingdom. The town's other station (Westhoughton railway station) which, until recently enjoyed an even greater patronage, has been unstaffed since 1974.

History

The station was opened in August 1888.

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 1974 Daisy Hill station was to some extent modernised. 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 (see picture right).

Location & Facilities

Multimap

The station is staffed (see above). Information screens in the booking hall show real-time departure information from both platforms, with electronic displays on the platforms themselves that show the next and following train information and estimated arrival time. This is accompanied by automated announcements using the familiar female voice (same voice as heard in Manchester Piccadilly, Oxford Road, etc.) heard via speakers located both on the platform and in the booking hall.

For a further picture of the station (and pictures of the locality) see: [3] a site which, inter alia shows the public house Rose Hill Tavern (known locally as The Bug), which is but a few yards from the station (turn right when leaving the station). Across the road was a post-office (closed in 2008) and shop (still open), and bus-stops that provide connections to much of Westhoughton. Daisy Hill village with its few shops, church and cricket ground is five minutes by foot (turn left outside the station). Westhoughton Town Centre is fifteen minutes (leisurely) walk from the station (turn right) or three or four minutes by bus (service 540 - crossing the road as one leaves 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 new (2008) car park with 77 places (to the right of the station as one leaves).

The station's island platform remains totally inaccessible (even with assistance) to wheelchair users (see national rail site above).

The future

As yet unspecified development is planned for the station:

GM Future Transport

Service

For many years Daisy Hill enjoyed what was virtually a peak only service (although those peak hour trains were well used): the 1973 British Rail timetable (table 95) shows 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. The present service is as follows:

Monday to Saturday daytimes:

• 2 trains per hour to Manchester Victoria.

• 1tph operates a local service stopping at:

Hag Fold, Atherton, Walkden, Moorside, Swinton, Salford Crescent, Salford Central and Manchester Victoria.

• 1tph operates a faster service stopping at:

Atherton, Walkden, Swinton, Salford Crescent, Salford Central and Manchester Victoria

• 1tph to Kirkby stopping at:

Hindley, Ince, Wigan Wallgate, Pemberton, Orrell, Upholland, Rainford, Kirkby

• 1tph to Southport stopping at:

Hindley, Wigan Wallgate, Gathurst, Appley Bridge, Parbold, Burscough Bridge, New Lane, Bescar Lane, Meols Cop, Southport

• Recent timetables provide an hourly convenient connection (5-7 mins. wait) at Hindley (although a platform change must be made that is not possible for wheelchair users) for services to/from Bolton.

There are a few extra services during the peak hours (Mondays to Fridays).

In the evening there is only one train an hour in each direction, the last train stops at Daisy Hill at 23:48; the station is locked up at midnight.

For many years (since 1966) 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 ran from May 2010: [4]

In the summer there is sometimes one train each way to Blackpool North (Via Wigan North Western). At other times connections to Blackpool can be effected by changing stations (around 100 yards walk) at Wigan.

London (Euston) is most conveniently reached by changing stations in Wigan

Rolling stock information

The services are operated solely by Diesel Multiple Units (Rail-buses), often ex-British Rail Class 142 (Known as 'Pacers']) and Class 150 'Sprinter' units, with Class 156s and 153s (which are banned from Wigan Wallgate) making occasional appearances. These trains are relatively modern, introduced in the mid 1980s. They are often seen working in multiple (that is, combined with each other).

Freight services are limited in number through Daisy Hill. A freight service is normally diverted through Daisy Hill only when engineering works takes place on its booked route, normally taking place overnight.

External links

• Train times and station information for Daisy Hill railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Hindley		Northern Rail Manchester-Southport Line Mondays-Saturdays only		Hag Fold
Hindley		Northern Rail Manchester-Kirkby Mondays-Saturdays only		Hag Fold

Coordinates: 53°32′22″N 2°30′55″W / 53.5394°N 2.5153°W / 53.5394; -2.5153