Ditton railway station, originally Ditton Junction, was a railway station which served the Ditton area of Widnes in Cheshire, England. It was located on Hale Road on the border between Ditton and Halebank.
The station opened in 1871 on the London-Liverpool line. It replaced an earlier station named Ditton Mill which was inconveniently located off the then new main line some 230 yards (210 m) to the east.
On 17 September 1912, 15 people were killed when the 17:30 train from Chester derailed while crossing from the fast to the slow line at speed.
The station was rebuilt between 1960-61[2] at a cost of £48,500[3] (equivalent to £1,148,500 in 2021).[4]
Ditton closed to passengers on 27 May 1994 and the station buildings were demolished in 2005.
Paul Simonedit
Ditton railway station is one of two stations where Paul Simon may have composed the song "Homeward Bound", the other being Widnes railway station. It is uncertain exactly where the song was written. In an interview with Paul Zollo for SongTalk Magazine, Art Garfunkel says that Simon wrote the song in a train station "around Manchester"[5] while in an earlier interview for Playboy Magazine Simon himself mentioned the train station was at Liverpool.[6] It is likely, however, that it was written at Widnes station during a long wait for a train, as Simon was still on tour and travelling to a gig in Humberside[7][8] from Widnes, and was reportedly dropped off at Widnes station by the owner of the club where he had been playing.[9] A plaque commemorating this claim to fame is displayed on the Liverpool-bound platform of Widnes railway station.[10] Simon is quoted as saying "if you'd ever seen Widnes, then you'd know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible."[11]
Closureedit
The station was the first to be closed by Railtrack following the privatisation of British Rail in 1994. Passenger numbers declined during the 1960s and 1970s with the steady withdrawal of services. The Ditton Dodger to St Helens Central was the first withdrawal in 1951, followed by services to Manchester Oxford Road in 1962 and to North Wales via the North Wales Coast Line and Chester in 1975. The station was left with an hourly shuttle between Crewe and Liverpool. By the late 1980s even this service had begun to omit Ditton from its schedule and dwindling passenger numbers eventually led to its closure.[12]
As of 2023 the platforms survive and can easily be seen from passing trains, and the site of the station buildings is visible from the road, marked by the more modern brickwork of the bridge parapet.
Futureedit
Halton Borough Council has protected the site of the station as well as the Halton Curve from development prejudicial to their reuse as part of the rail network; the council notes that "there is an opportunity for the re-opening of this station, particularly with the possible increase in patronage from major industrial, commercial and housing developments in the area. It may be possible to use the station as a park and ride facility."[13] The alignment of the "Shell Green Route" which linked Ditton with Widnes South and Warrington is also protected.
Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, stated in an interview in July 2017 that re-opening the station was one of the several options that had been outlined in the Liverpool City Region's Long Term Rail Strategy. The success of the plan depended heavily upon the re-opening of the Halton Curve.[14]
In February 2019 it was announced that Merseytravel and consultant company Arup had been conducting feasibility studies into the reopening of the station.[15] Initial estimates put the cost of reopening the station at an estimated £10 million.
^Lawrence, David (2018). British Rail Architecture 1948-97. Crecy Publishing Ltd. p. 69. ISBN9780860936855.
^"Station soon in full operation". Liverpool Echo. England. 17 November 1961. Retrieved 2 June 2019 – via British Newspaper Archive.
^UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
^Zollo, Paul (1990). "Song Talk Interview". SongTalk Magazine. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
^"'Paul Simon immortalised Widnes Station'". Cheshire Magazine. Cheshire, England: C.C. Publishing. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
^"Paul Simon and Garfunkel - England 64/65 tour : 1965". www.paul-simon.info. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
^"Paul Simon's 1965 Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives". www.concertarchives.org. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
^"Folklore: Remembering 'Folkscene' presenter Geoff Speed and his tales of Paul Simon". The Leader. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
^GADFLY - Paul's fair deal for Scarborough Northern Echo (Darlington); 7 June 2006; MIKE AMOS; p. 11
^Backtrack - BACKTRACK BRIEFS . . . Northern Echo (Darlington); 21 November 2008; Mike Amos; p. 11
ditton, railway, station, originally, ditton, junction, railway, station, which, served, ditton, area, widnes, cheshire, england, located, hale, road, border, between, ditton, halebank, dittonthe, disused, station, seen, 2012general, informationlocationditton,. Ditton railway station originally Ditton Junction was a railway station which served the Ditton area of Widnes in Cheshire England It was located on Hale Road on the border between Ditton and Halebank DittonThe disused station seen in 2012General informationLocationDitton Halton CheshireEnglandGrid referenceSJ487846Platforms5 1 Other informationStatusDisusedHistoryPre groupingLondon amp North Western RailwayPost groupingLondon Midland and Scottish RailwayLondon Midland Region of British Railways RailtrackKey dates1 May 1871New station opened as Ditton Junction replacing Ditton Mill7 May 1973Renamed Ditton 29 May 1994ClosedSt Helens amp Runcorn Gap RailwayLegendLiverpool amp Bury RailwayRainford JunctionSkelmersdale branchLiverpool amp Bury RailwayRainford VillageRookeryOld Mill LaneCrank HaltMoss BankPilkingtonGerards BridgeLiverpool Wigan lineto Wigan North WesternSt Helens Central original GCR station St Helens CentralLiverpool St Helens amp South Lancashire RailwayLiverpool Wigan lineto Liverpool Lime StreetPeasley CrossHays ChemicalsSutton OakLiverpool amp Manchester Railwayto Manchester VictoriaRobins Lane HaltSt Helens JunctionLiverpool amp Manchester Railwayto Liverpool Lime StreetClock FaceUnion Bank Farm HaltFarnworth amp BoldAppletonAnn Street HaltWarrington andStockport RailwayVladivar Vodka distilleryWarrington ArpleyChester Warrington lineto ChesterWarrington Bank QuayHigh Level Low LevelWest Coast Main LineWhitecrossSankey BridgesFidlers Ferry amp PenkethFiddlers Ferry power stationCuerdleyWidnes loopto SankeyTanhouse LaneWidnes CentralCheshire Lines Committee Liverpool Manchester Hough GreenWidnes SouthRuncorn Gap second Runcorn Gap first swing bridgeWidnes DockDitton MillWeaver Junction Liverpool lineto Weaver Junction amp EustonRuncorn BridgeDitton JunctionHalebankSpeke1864 extensionto LiverpoolChurch Road GarstonGarston Container terminalGarston DockGarston and Liverpool Railwayto Hunts CrossHunts Cross chordLiverpool South Parkwayto Liverpool CentralAllertonWest AllertonMossley HillSefton ParkWavertreeLiverpool amp Manchester RailwayEdge HillLiverpool Lime StreetThis diagram viewtalkedit Contents 1 History 1 1 Paul Simon 1 2 Closure 2 Future 3 References 3 1 Sources 4 External linksHistory editThe station opened in 1871 on the London Liverpool line It replaced an earlier station named Ditton Mill which was inconveniently located off the then new main line some 230 yards 210 m to the east On 17 September 1912 15 people were killed when the 17 30 train from Chester derailed while crossing from the fast to the slow line at speed Main article Ditton Junction rail crash The station was rebuilt between 1960 61 2 at a cost of 48 500 3 equivalent to 1 148 500 in 2021 4 Ditton closed to passengers on 27 May 1994 and the station buildings were demolished in 2005 Paul Simon edit Ditton railway station is one of two stations where Paul Simon may have composed the song Homeward Bound the other being Widnes railway station It is uncertain exactly where the song was written In an interview with Paul Zollo for SongTalk Magazine Art Garfunkel says that Simon wrote the song in a train station around Manchester 5 while in an earlier interview for Playboy Magazine Simon himself mentioned the train station was at Liverpool 6 It is likely however that it was written at Widnes station during a long wait for a train as Simon was still on tour and travelling to a gig in Humberside 7 8 from Widnes and was reportedly dropped off at Widnes station by the owner of the club where he had been playing 9 A plaque commemorating this claim to fame is displayed on the Liverpool bound platform of Widnes railway station 10 Simon is quoted as saying if you d ever seen Widnes then you d know why I was keen to get back to London as quickly as possible 11 Closure edit The station was the first to be closed by Railtrack following the privatisation of British Rail in 1994 Passenger numbers declined during the 1960s and 1970s with the steady withdrawal of services The Ditton Dodger to St Helens Central was the first withdrawal in 1951 followed by services to Manchester Oxford Road in 1962 and to North Wales via the North Wales Coast Line and Chester in 1975 The station was left with an hourly shuttle between Crewe and Liverpool By the late 1980s even this service had begun to omit Ditton from its schedule and dwindling passenger numbers eventually led to its closure 12 As of 2023 the platforms survive and can easily be seen from passing trains and the site of the station buildings is visible from the road marked by the more modern brickwork of the bridge parapet Future editHalton Borough Council has protected the site of the station as well as the Halton Curve from development prejudicial to their reuse as part of the rail network the council notes that there is an opportunity for the re opening of this station particularly with the possible increase in patronage from major industrial commercial and housing developments in the area It may be possible to use the station as a park and ride facility 13 The alignment of the Shell Green Route which linked Ditton with Widnes South and Warrington is also protected Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram stated in an interview in July 2017 that re opening the station was one of the several options that had been outlined in the Liverpool City Region s Long Term Rail Strategy The success of the plan depended heavily upon the re opening of the Halton Curve 14 In February 2019 it was announced that Merseytravel and consultant company Arup had been conducting feasibility studies into the reopening of the station 15 Initial estimates put the cost of reopening the station at an estimated 10 million Preceding station Disused railways Following stationAllerton Regional RailwaysWeaver Junction and Liverpool Line RuncornHale Bank London and North Western RailwaySt Helens Railway Widnes South London and North Western Railway RuncornReferences edit Fields Gilbert amp Knight 1980 Photos 247 amp 248 Lawrence David 2018 British Rail Architecture 1948 97 Crecy Publishing Ltd p 69 ISBN 9780860936855 Station soon in full operation Liverpool Echo England 17 November 1961 Retrieved 2 June 2019 via British Newspaper Archive UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark Gregory 2017 The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain 1209 to Present New Series MeasuringWorth Retrieved 11 June 2022 Zollo Paul 1990 Song Talk Interview SongTalk Magazine Retrieved 27 September 2012 Paul Simon immortalised Widnes Station Cheshire Magazine Cheshire England C C Publishing Retrieved 27 September 2012 Paul Simon and Garfunkel England 64 65 tour 1965 www paul simon info Retrieved 14 October 2021 Paul Simon s 1965 Concert amp Tour History Concert Archives www concertarchives org Retrieved 14 October 2021 Folklore Remembering Folkscene presenter Geoff Speed and his tales of Paul Simon The Leader Retrieved 14 October 2021 GADFLY Paul s fair deal for Scarborough Northern Echo Darlington 7 June 2006 MIKE AMOS p 11 Backtrack BACKTRACK BRIEFS Northern Echo Darlington 21 November 2008 Mike Amos p 11 Subterranea Britannica Ditton Halton Borough Council Unitary Development Plan Chapter 6 TP3 Archived 7 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine McDougall John 20 July 2017 Steve Rotheram hints Ditton station reopening could hinge on Halton Curve liverpoolecho Retrieved 22 July 2017 Brown Faye 28 February 2019 You may soon be able to catch a train from this disused railway station liverpoolecho Retrieved 28 February 2019 Sources edit Fields N Gilbert A C Knight N R 1980 Liverpool to Manchester into the Second Century Manchester Transport Museum Society ISBN 0 900857 19 6 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ditton railway station Ditton station via Disused Stations UK53 21 23 N 2 46 15 W 53 3563 N 2 7707 W 53 3563 2 7707 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ditton railway station amp oldid 1165662030, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
