Meols Cop railway station

Not to be confused with Meols railway station.

Meols Cop
On the platform.
Location
Place	Blowick
Local authority	Sefton
Grid reference	SD356170
Operations
Station code	MEC
Managed by	Northern Rail
Number of platforms	2
DfT category	F2
Live arrivals/departures, station information and onward connections from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage*
2004/05	26,821
2005/06	31,563
2006/07	38,906
2007/08	44,316
2008/09	57,192
2009/10	57,592
2010/11	62,442
2011/12	64,642
2012/13	63,722
2013/14	65,852
2014/15	70,476
Passenger Transport Executive
PTE	Merseytravel
Zone	D1
History
1 November 1887	Opened
1909	Electrified
National Rail – UK railway stations
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Meols Cop from Office of Rail and Road statistics. Methodology may vary year on year.
UK Railways portal

Meols Cop railway station serves the Blowick suburb of the coastal town of Southport, Merseyside, England. The station has an island platform and is served by Northern Rail's Manchester Victoria - Southport via Wigan Wallgate branch services, on which it is the last stop before the terminus. The station is unstaffed and passengers must buy their tickets on the train.

History

Meols Cop railway station opened on 1 November 1887, originally as part of the Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway. It is the only part of that line still in use, having replaced a section of the Manchester and Southport Railway.

The line through Meols Cop was electrified in 1909 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, though the third rail was only used for access to the nearby carriage works after the 1964 closure of the Southport-Crossens service. The works, Meols Cop Electric depot, closed in 1970, and the third rail was lifted shortly afterward.

In early January 2016, CCTV Cameras were installed at the station.

Services

There is an hourly service in each direction to Southport and Manchester Victoria (via Atherton) on weekdays & Saturdays, with a number of morning peak and evening peak trains to/from Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport via Bolton.

The station was closed on Sundays up until the December 2008 timetable change, but is now served hourly in each direction (to Stockport eastbound, with alternate trains continuing to/from Chester via Altrincham or Hazel Grove).

Community

The station is voluntarily maintained by the Friends of Meols Cop Station group. The group looks after the station by tending the gardens and keeping the station clean and tidy.

A well-maintained platform.

References

• Gell, Rob (1986). An Illustrated Survey of Railway Stations Between Southport & Liverpool 1848-1986. Heyday Publishing Company, ISBN 0-947562-04-4.

External links

• Train times and station information for Meols Cop railway station from National Rail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Southport		Northern Rail Manchester Victoria-Southport or Manchester Airport-Southport		Bescar Lane or Burscough Bridge
	Disused railways
Southport Ash Street until 1902 Line and station closed		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway		Kew Gardens until 1907 Line and station closed
St Luke's from 1902 Line open, station closed				Butts Lane Halt from 1907 Line open, station closed
Hesketh Park Line and station closed		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Southport-Crossens electric service		Trains reverse
St Luke's Line open, station closed