Leasowe railway station

Leasowe
Location
Place	Leasowe
Local authority	Wirral
Grid reference	SJ270907
Operations
Station code	LSW
Managed by	Merseyrail
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	E
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	0.332 million
2005/06	0.341 million
2006/07	0.359 million
2007/08	0.355 million
2008/09	0.990 million
2009/10	0.920 million
2010/11	0.954 million
2011/12	0.947 million
2012/13	0.890 million
2013/14	0.600 million
2014/15	0.612 million
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Merseytravel
Zone	B1
History
4 July 1870	Opened as Leasowe Crossing[1]
1 August 1872	Closed[1]
5 May 1894	Reopened[1]
1938	Electrified
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Leasowe from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Leasowe railway station is situated near the village of Leasowe, Wirral, England. It lies on the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line, part of the Merseyrail network.

History

Leasowe station was originally opened on the Hoylake Railway in 1870, as Leasowe Crossing and having no proper platform, closing less than two years later.^[1][2] Situated on Reeds Lane,^[3] the station was then opened again on 5 May 1894, when the line from Bidston to Moreton was doubled.^[4] It was built by the Wirral Railway on their line from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby.

Through electric services to Liverpool Central commenced on 13 March 1938, when the LMS electrified the lines from Birkenhead Park to West Kirby.^[5][6] The service was provided by the then-new LMS electric multiple units. However, on Sunday mornings, the service was provided by the older Mersey Railway electric units which, up until that point, had only ever run from Liverpool to Birkenhead Park.^[7] The platform buildings were replaced in 1938, rebuilt in a similar style to those along the line towards West Kirby,^[8] and a footbridge was added. The signal box, used to operate the level crossing and replacing a cabin on the westbound platform, was moved to the opposite side of Reeds Lane and was also improved upon at the time.^[9]

The station did not have a goods yard being just two lines straight through.^[1][9] Nonetheless, freight did pass through the station from the Cadbury factory in Moreton.^[10] The 8-lever signal box was in use until 24 July 1994,^[11] and demolished afterwards.^[9]

Facilities

The station is staffed, during all opening hours, and has platform CCTV.^[12] Each of the two platforms has a waiting room. There is a payphone, booking office and live departure and arrival screens, for passenger information. The station has a free "Park and Ride" car park, with 204 spaces,^[13] lighting columns and CCTV to meet Merseytravel's Travelsafe requirements, as well as a cycle rack. There is step-free access, to the booking office and platforms, for wheelchairs and prams.

Services

Current services are every 15 minutes (Monday to Saturday daytime) to West Kirby and Liverpool. At other times, trains operate every 30 minutes.^[14] These services are provided by Merseyrail's fleet of Class 507 and Class 508 EMUs.

The station also has a number of connecting Merseytravel bus services.

Gallery

• 

  A Merseyrail Class 507 unit waits with a service to Liverpool.

• 

  A view, towards Bidston, of the platforms, footbridge and level crossing.

• 

  The view towards Meols.

• 

  A view, towards Meols, from beneath the footbridge, next to the level crossing.

References

1. Mitchell & Smith 2014, map X
2. Maund, p. 11
3. Maund, p. 45
4. Maund, p. 37
5. Gahan 1983, p. 63
6. Maund 2009, p. 166
7. Gahan 1983, p. 67
8. Maund 2009, p. 159
9. Maund 2009, p. 226
10. Maund 2009, p. 209
11. Mitchell & Smith 2014, fig. 37
12. Station Facilities for Leasowe Accessed 2013-12-18
13. Leasowe train station facilities, Merseyrail Accessed 2013-12-18
14. "Wirral Line timetable" (PDF). Merseyrail. Retrieved 2013-12-18.

Sources

• Gahan, John W. (1983). Steel Wheels to Deeside - The Wirral Railway past and present. Birkenhead: Countryvise. ISBN 0-907768-70-9.
• Maund, T.B. (2009). The Wirral Railway and its Predecessors. Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1-899-88938-9.
• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2014). Birkenhead to West Kirby. West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN 9781908174611. OCLC 885451764.

External links

• Train times and station information for Leasowe railway station from National Rail

• Station information for Leasowe railway station from Merseyrail

Coordinates: 53°24′29″N 3°06′00″W / 53.408°N 3.100°W