Rail group calls for station to be reopened
A RAIL group has raised the question if a disused train station in Widnes could reopen as infrastructure in the town develops.
The winter newsletter from the North Cheshire Rail Users Group (NCRUG) claims the organisation heard a ‘rumour’ Halton Borough Council was ‘interested in reopening’ the former Ditton railway station, which shut in 1994.
The document from NCRUG secretary Cedric Green mentioned the transport and technology centre being built for Alstom in Halebank, which will create up to 600 jobs and is due to open in May.
The jobs boost has prompted the question from the organisation about the station and if it could be used once more.
The newsletter said: “Whilst most of the jobs will be filled locally, we wonder if the nearby former Ditton Junction station could be re-born especially with the Halton Curve opening?
“We heard a rumour that Halton Borough Council is interested in the re-opening of Ditton Junction station.”
The station opened in 1871 but the line itself was operated by the St Helens And Runcorn Gap Railway in July 1852 as an extension to a network which gave access to Garston Docks.
Historically, the facility is remembered for a major rail crash in 1912 when a Chester to Liverpool train hauling two horse boxes and seven coaches hit the road ● bridge at the station.
The accident occurred because of confusion over the signals and the crew were killed along with all the passengers in the first two coaches.
Between 1960 and 1961 the station was rebuilt in a modern style to accommodate the electrification of the Crewe to Liverpool line.
Throughout its lifespan the station offered services to Liverpool, Manchester, St Helens, Crewe and Chester.
Eventually the station was left with an hourly electric service between Crewe and Liverpool and by the late 1980s most trains on the service had started to omit Ditton from their scheduled stops.
By the early 1990s only a couple of trains called at the station at peak times.
It was known as Ditton Junction until 1993 when the ‘Junction’ was dropped from the station’s name before it shut in 1994.
A Halton Borough Council spokeswoman said: “The re-opening of Ditton Station has always been a long term ambition for Halton Borough Council.
“Successive Local Transport Plans have acknowledged that the re-opening of the station would be in connection with the re-instatement of the Halton Curve rail service.
“However, a robust business case would need to be developed in order to secure funding to develop the station.”