Lostock Gralam  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) View west towards Northwich and Chester in 2013 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Lostock Gralam,Cheshire West and Chester England | ||||
| Grid reference | SJ690746 | ||||
| Managed by | Northern Trains | ||||
| Platforms | 2 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | LTG | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
| Opened | 1 January 1863 | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2019/20 |  54,008 | ||||
| 2020/21 |  17,744 | ||||
| 2021/22 | 43,012 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 54,108 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 54,324 | ||||
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Lostock Gralam railway station serves the village ofLostock Gralam inCheshire,England. The station is on theMid-Cheshire line fromChester toManchester Piccadilly, 18½ miles (30 km) east of Chester.
The station opened for passengers as Lostock on 1 January 1863 as part of theCheshire Midland Railway. The station was renamed to Lostock Gralam later in 1863.[1] Goods traffic started from 1 May 1863; the goods yard was to the south of the station and was equipped with a 5-ton crane. The goods yard closed on 3 August 1964.[2][3] For many years the station had a run-down appearance and had been downgraded to arequest stop. The main station building was demolished on 8 July 2007.
As of the December 2008 timetable, there were two additional weekday peak services to and fromStockport. On Sundays, a two-hourly service to Chester and Manchester was introduced, with the latter continuing toSouthport, viaWigan Wallgate andBolton.[4] Prior to the new service, trains to Manchester had not operated on Sundays since the early 1990s. Passengers had to change atAltrincham on to theManchester Metrolink to continue their journeys.
Services beyond Manchester were terminated in May 2010, with all current trains now calling at Manchester Piccadilly and no further. Additional weekday peak services to/from Stockport were suspended in 2020.
As a result of the Lostock Triangle development, the station is no longer a request stop.[5] In the summer of 2011, new passenger shelters were constructed on both platforms.[6] Prior to this, there had been no protection from the weather for passengers on the Manchester-bound platform.[7] The station is unstaffed, so tickets must be bought on the train or prior to travel. Train running details are offered via digital display screens (fitted in 2015),[8] telephone and timetable posters. Step-free access is available only on the Manchester-bound platform.[9]
From Monday to Saturday, the station gets one train per hour westbound toChester and one train per hour eastbound toManchester Piccadilly. 18 trains per day run to Chester, with 17 running towards Manchester. On Sundays, there is a two-hourly service each way, with 7 trains in each direction.[10] The majority of services are run byNorthernClass 150 trains, with someClass 156s also serving the station.
| Preceding station |  National Rail | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwich | Northern Trains Mid-Cheshire Line | Plumley | ||
There have been plans for a half-hourly service in each direction – it was a part of the 2015 franchise agreement[11] – but this has been repeatedly delayed due to capacity constraints between Stockport and Manchester and is yet, as of January 2022, to be implemented.[12]
As part of Northern's proposed December 2022 timetable (which focuses on additional services within the Manchester area), an additional 4 trains per day between Chester and Stockport (2 in each direction) have been proposed during peak hours on Mondays to Saturdays. These services are aimed at those who are commuting to and/or working in Manchester and Stockport. This change will increase the number of trains departing Chester on the line to 20 per day, with the number departing Stockport also increased to 20 per day. The 2-hourly Sunday service will remain the same, at 7 trains per day.[13][14]
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