Chester to Manchester Line
| Chester to Manchester Line |
| Stations (from west to east)
Chester |
There are two Chester to Manchester Lines between the cities of Chester and Manchester in the north-west of England.
Descripton
Both routes to Manchester share the Chester to Crewe line for a short distance to Brook Lane Junction where the Manchester lines diverge to Mickle Trafford at which point the southern route of the Cheshire Lines Committee (see the Mid-Cheshire Line) diverges south-easterly to Mouldsworth whilst the considerably older route built by the London and North Western Railway continues to Helsby (junction from Ellesmere Port), Frodsham, Runcorn East (junction for the Halton Curve). Then through the Sutton Tunnel (over a mile long) and northwards alongside the West Coast Main Line into Warrington Bank Quay railway station.
From Warrington the route follows the original Grand Junction Railway route northwards through Winwick Junction to Earlestown where it joins George Stephenson's original Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which was the world's first inter-city railway, having opened in 1830. From here this venerable route is via Newton-le-Willows, Patricroft and Eccles and then either via the earlier route to Manchester Victoria station or, as at present, via Ordsall Lane and Castlefield junctions to Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road and the route's present terminus at Manchester Piccadilly station platforms 13 & 14.
Services
Arriva Trains Wales operate an hourly service throughout between Manchester and Chester (most trains do not stop at Patricroft, Eccles or Deansgate, which are served by Liverpool to Manchester Lines) and onwards calling at all stations to Llandudno on the North Wales Coast Line.
