Daisy Hillrailway station serves the Daisy Hill area of Westhoughton, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England. Daisy Hill is one of the principal stations that lie on the Atherton line, between Wigan and Manchester. The station is located west of Manchester Victoria with regular Northern services to these towns as well as Salford, Swinton and Hindley, with onward trains to Kirkby and Southport. Due to considerable housing development in the area, it is now a well-used commuter station and has in the past vied for the position of the most used station on the line. In the period 2004 to 2012 passenger usage has more than doubled. The slight drop in usage in 2006-07 may be due to statistical correction rather than genuine decline. A substantial increase in usage was reported. Part of this was explained in the SRA notes as an attempt more accurately to include local tickets. In the 1970s the service was sporadic, yet the railway station was fully staffed. This continued until recent times. Until 2008, Daisy Hill railway station was continuously staffed from before the first train to after the last - just over 18 hours. Since 2008, however, the railway station ticket office has closed at 7.25pm. This is still a longer period of staffing than many other stations in the United Kingdom. The town's other station which, until recently enjoyed an even greater patronage, has been unstaffed since 1974.
History
The railway station opened on 1 October 1888. It was the junction of a line to Blackrod which closed completely on 6 September 1965. On 21 November 1965 the two "fast lines" were taken out of use. These tracks were removed in early 1966, leaving only the lines adjacent to the central island platform. In 1974 Daisy Hill railway station was to some extent modernised. The old British RailLondon Midland maroon signage was replaced, the platform canopy removed, the platform toilets and waiting room demolished and the gas lighting replaced with modern electric lighting. The roadside building and ticket office, however, remained relatively untouched.
Location and facilities
The station is staffed. Information screens in the booking hall show real-time departure information from both platforms, with electronic displays on the platforms themselves that show the next and following train information and estimated arrival time. This is accompanied by automated announcements using the familiar female voice heard via speakers located both on the platform and in the booking hall. Bus-stops that provide connections to much of Westhoughton are just outside the station. Daisy Hill village, with its few shops, church and cricket ground is five minutes by foot. Westhoughton town centre is fifteen minutes walk from the station or three or four minutes by bus. There is no taxi rank, although a pay phone is found in the booking hall with taxi numbers and other local information. There are no toilet or refreshment facilities. There is a new car park with 77 places. The station's island platform remains totally inaccessible to wheelchair users, as the only means of access is via a staircase.
Service
For many years Daisy Hill enjoyed what was virtually a peak only service : the 1973 British Rail timetable shows a gap between 9.45am and 3.45pm for trains to Manchester Victoria. Since then the service has dramatically improved. First hourly and then half-hourly services were introduced. The typical off-peak service is of three trains per hour to , one to and two to. In the evening there are two trains an hour in each direction. The regular daytime service to ended at the start of the winter 2019 timetable, with passengers now having to change at Wigan. Some services also run to rather than Wallgate. For many years, there had been no trains serving Daisy Hill on Sundays. Northern Rail had aspirations to provide a Sunday service for the line for some years; and after a successful campaign GMPTE provided funds. Sunday trains ran from May 2010. For a number of years, there was, also one direct train each way to Blackpool North. This no longer operates in the current timetable.
