Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway

Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway
Waterloo Station
Overview
Status	Operational
Locale	Lancashire Merseyside
Termini	Liverpool Exchange Southport Chapel Street
Stations	18
Service
Type	Commuter rail
History
Opened	24 July 1848
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Route map Southport Chapel Street Manchester and Southport Rly to Manchester Southport Eastbank Street Birkdale Gilberts Crossing Hillside Ainsdale Freshfield Formby Formby Power Station Altcar Rifle Range Hightown Hall Road Crosby Waterloo Seaforth North Mersey Branch Marsh Lane Bootle Village to Bankfield Goods Bootle Miller's Bridge Bank Hall Liverpool and Bury Railway to North Dock Goods Sandhills to Great Howard Street Goods to Moorfields Liverpool Exchange

The Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway (LC&SR) received parliamentary authorization on 2 July 1847 and opened between Southport and Liverpool, on 24 July 1848. The Liverpool terminal was a temporary station on the viaduct passing near to Waterloo Goods station.

LC&SR later operations

The line was extended from Waterloo Goods Station to Liverpool Tithebarn Street/Liverpool Exchange, the station had two names, which later settled on the name Liverpool Exchange station, on 13 May 1850. The original Southport terminus was at Eastbank Street, until that station was closed on the opening of the current Chapel Street station on 22 August 1851.

Operations by the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway

The LC&SR became part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (LYR), on 14 June 1855. The LYR electrified the line, initially using a four rail system, later altered to third-rail, and services started on 5 April 1904. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was Grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923.

British Railways and later operations

Nationalisation followed in 1948, and the line was destined for closure under the 1960s Beeching plan but survived. In 1978 it became part of the Merseyrail Network's Northern Line, operated by British Rail until it was privatised in 1995. Since 2003 the line has been operated by the Serco-Abellio consortium as part of its contract to operate Merseyrail.

Stations on the Liverpool and Southport line

Stations on the line serve the following places:

• Sandhills - Liverpool Docks
• Bank Hall - Liverpool Docks
• Bootle Oriel Road - Bootle
• Bootle New Strand - Bootle
• Seaforth & Litherland - Seaforth & Litherland
• Waterloo - Waterloo, Merseyside
• Blundellsands & Crosby - Crosby & Blundellsands
• Hall Road - Blundellsands
• Hightown - Hightown
• Altcar Rifle Range (closed 1921)
• Formby Power Station (closed c.1944)
• Formby - Formby
• Freshfield - Freshfield
• Ainsdale - Ainsdale
• Hillside - Ainsdale / Birkdale
• Birkdale - Birkdale
• Southport Eastbank Street (closed 1851) - Southport
• Southport Chapel Street - Southport

References

• Awdry, Christopher (1990), Encyclopedia of British Railway Companies, Patrick Stephens Limited, ISBN 1-85260-049-7
• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20050905222645/http://www.southportmodelrailway.org.uk/History/history.html