Railways menu

Next

Directory

St Helens to Widnes Railway
(1833 - 1951)

During the 18th Century, St Helens had developed as a coal mining and manufacturing area but it suffered from having no navigable river and so all goods had to go by road which was slow and difficult. In 1757, the Sankey Brook Navigation Canal was opened between St Helens and Sankey Bridges on the River Mersey. The canal improved things for the industries of St Helens and the town flourished

By the 1820s though the levels of traffic between St Helens and the River Mersey were such that they filled the canal to its limit. Also during periods of extreme cold or drought the canal could not be used. In 1829, as construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was underway a group of industrialists arranged for a survey to be carried out between St Helens and Runcorn Gap with a view to building a railway and a dock. A bill for its construction was posted on 16 February 1830 and Royal Assent was granted on May 29 1830

On November 28 1832 a train carrying coal was able to pass along the entire length of the line from St Helens to Runcorn Gap. Final works were completed and the line was officially opened on February 21 1833. The dock at Runcorn Gap, named Widnes Dock, was not completed in time and was not ready to handle its first revenue earning traffic until August 1833. When it did open Widnes Dock was the world's first direct from rail to ship unloading facility

With the opening of the line to Runcorn Gap the people of St Helen's lobbied the railway company for a passenger service to Runcorn Gap. No specific passenger trains were run; the coaches were attached to coal trains. It was to facilitate this service that Runcorn Gap station was opened

On the July 1 1852 the railway company opened its line to Garston and on this occasion more consideration was given to passengers. A new station opened also called Runcorn Gap but it was much closer to what was evolving as the centre of Widnes and was therefore more convenient and 5 intermediate stations were opened. With the opening of the new station the original Runcorn Gap Station closed

The line through the site of Runcorn Gap station was taken out of use on November 4 1968 and it had been lifted to a point just south of Ann Street by 1970. In the early 1980s, the site of the station was landscaped as a second phase in the creation of the Spike Island public park. The swing bridge was removed as it was found to be in very poor condition. It was replaced with a timber bridge

Railways menu

Next

Directory