A 1908 Railway Clearing House Junction Diagram showing (lower right) railways in the vicinity of Kirkby
The original station was built in 1848, as part of the Liverpool and Bury Railway (later part of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway system). The station was situated on the western side of the bridge that bisects the site and consisted of two platforms. The L&BR subsequently became part of the main L&YR route between Manchester Victoria & Liverpool Exchange[1] and prior to the 1923 Grouping carried fast expresses between the two cities in addition to sizeable volumes of local passenger traffic and freight. After the nationalisation of the railway network in 1948, the use of the line as a through Liverpool to Manchester route declined but local commuter traffic levels remained significant (19 trains per day each way ran along the line in 1965, though a few ran non-stop between Liverpool & Wigan).[1] Nevertheless, this did not stop the station & line from being listed for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report (along with the neighbouring Liverpool to Southport commuter line). The closure plans were subsequently rejected by the government in December 1967 and the station then became part of the newly created Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive's rail network in 1969.[1]
1970s
From the following year,[2] the line through the station was singled to reduce track maintenance costs, with the Wigan-bound platform being taken out of use.
It was then rebuilt in 1977, when the line from Liverpool was electrified. Electric operations commenced on 2 May of that year, along with the end of through running between Bolton/Wigan and Liverpool.
The station configuration was altered due to the closure of the terminus at Liverpool Exchange on 30 April 1977.[1] Its replacement with new underground stations at Moorfields & Central meant that the diesel services from Manchester, Bolton & Wigan serving the station could no longer operate beyond Sandhills as diesel multiple units were banned from operating in the new tunnels for safety reasons. In order to maintain a through service to the city, the section from Walton Junction to Kirkby was third-rail electrified, with the remainder of the line towards Rainford and Wigan remaining diesel operated. The station at Kirkby became the interchange point between the two. Electrification eastwards from Kirkby was deemed too expensive at the time.
View of the former layout, where buffer stops separated the electrified Merseyrail track from the diesel line to Wigan beyond the bridge.
The modern station consisted of a single platform on either side of the road overbridge, with a ticket office and waiting room at street level. Prior to the opening of Headbolt Lane, there was one single track, with a buffer stop stopping the trains from meeting. Meaning passengers wishing to go from one platform to another walked a dozen yards or so along the platform to move between trains (a similar layout exists at Ormskirk). This layout was adopted both to avoid the need for through travellers to change platforms when changing trains and also for operational convenience – the lines to Fazakerley and Rainford are both single track (as noted previously), which facilitated the easy turnaround of trains here.
As of the opening of Headbolt Lane however, this has changed and there is a singular through-running track which then switches to a double track layout just after the station. The former platform face east of the overbridge used by diesel services towards Wigan is now out of use and no longer accessible.
Accidents and incidents
On 27 June 1857, a goods train collided with an excursion train stopped at Kirkby. The goods train passed a signal at danger protecting the stationary passenger train, overrunning it by 238 yd (218 m). More than 200 people were injured, some of them severely. The driver and guard of the goods train were found to be at fault for the incident, having not reacted to an adverse signal in a timely fashion despite clear weather and good visibility. The report also found that the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway had neglected to make best use of available safety measures.[3]
The station also has a history of trains colliding with the buffer stops; this occurred in 1987, 1991, 1997 and 2021. [4]
On 13 March 2021, 507 006, operated by Merseyrail, overshot the platform and overran the buffer stop, having approached the station at 42 miles per hour (68 km/h). The train impacted a concrete structure separating the Merseyrail tracks from the Kirkby Branch Line and was derailed, causing some damage to the platform. Twelve people sustained minor injuries.[5][6] Services at the station were interrupted due to the need to remove the train and assess and repair damage on both sides of the buffer stops, with rail replacement buses running until the end of March.[7][8] An investigation by the British Transport Police revealed that the driver had been using his mobile phone whilst driving, and entered the station at excessive speed. He pleaded guilty to a charge of endangering passengers on the railway.[9]
Facilities
The ticket office is staffed throughout the day, from start of service until 00:30 seven days per week. A self-service ticket machine is also provided. There are shelters on both sides of the split platform, along with digital display screens and timetable poster boards. Step-free access to the platform is available via ramp. There is a 174 space car park and secure cycle parking for 20 cycles.[10]
Services
The station is currently served by three trains per hour in each direction in the day time, Monday - Saturday. In Late evenings and Sundays services are reduced to Two trains per hour in each direction. Services are operated using Class 777EMUs.[11][12]
In the future, the service will be increased to up to four trains per hour in each direction as more battery operated Class 777 trains become available.[13]
As part of the second Merseyside Local Transport Plan (covering expansion of public transport in the region from 2006 to 2011), plans were drawn up for the expansion of the electrified line beyond the existing station. Since the existing track at Kirkby station makes interchange difficult, part of the expansion involves the construction of a new station in the Northwood area of the town. This new facility, at Headbolt Lane - previously planned in the early 1970s but not built - would provide "turn-back" platforms for both diesel and electric services. Exploratory technical assessments were carried out and Merseytravel had aspirations to construct the station as part of the Liverpool City Region Long Term Rail Strategy published in 2014.[14] In 2017 Merseytravel and Lancashire County Council announced they had committed £5 million to a study into the opening of a station at Headbolt Lane and also in Skelmersdale. The plan would cost an estimated £300 million taking a decade to deliver.[15] Lancashire County Council agreed a plan to commission an outline business case in May 2019.[16]
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in August 2019 part of a £172m funding package to build a new station at Headbolt Lane.[17] As part of this work, the 0.75 mile (1.2 km) long section of line between here and the new station is being doubled, though Kirkby station itself will still have just the one platform.
In October 2023 the new station opened, with Kirkby now being used as a through-running station, and trains for both directions stopping at the station.[18]
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