| Warrington Bank Quay | |
| Symbol Location: | gb |
| Symbol: | rail |
| Borough: | Warrington, Borough of Warrington |
| Country: | England |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Manager: | Avanti West Coast |
| Platforms: | 4 |
| Code: | WBQ |
| Classification: | DfT category B |
| Original: | London and North Western Railway |
| Pregroup: | London and North Western Railway |
| Postgroup: | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Events1: | Station opened (with platforms on two levels) |
| Years2: | 9 September 1963 |
| Events2: | Low level platforms closed |
| Footnotes: | Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road |
Warrington Bank Quay is one of three railway stations serving the town centre of Warrington in Cheshire, England. It is a principal stop on the West Coast Main Line between and . The station is a north–south oriented main-line station on one side of the main shopping area, with the west–east oriented Warrington West and Warrington Central operating a more frequent service to the neighbouring cities of Liverpool and Manchester.
Cheshire Cat Buses are operated from the station into Warrington Bus Interchange and in the opposite direction to the Centre Park business park, Stockton Heath and further south into Cheshire.[1]
The station consists of two island platforms. The easternmost retains the 19th century buildings, with the western island's buildings dating from the 1950s. Passengers enter the station at street level through a functional modern entrance containing an information office and ticket office, and proceed through a subway, reaching the elevated platforms by stairs or a lift. There is a buffet on the eastern platform.
Platform 1 serves arrivals and departures to Liverpool Lime Street with this service terminating at the platform, and occasionally for North Wales services. Platform 2 is generally used for North Wales services, and southbound intercity services to Birmingham New Street and London Euston. Platform 3 serves northbound intercity trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. Platform 4 for services from North Wales to Manchester. The platforms are not bidirectional, except that the slow line between the station and Winwick Junction, some NaNmiles to the north. This allows northbound departures from platform 1. The present platform 4 was numbered 5 for many years, because there was to be a north-facing bay platform in the west island which was numbered 4, but this saw no passenger use after electrification in 1972 being removed later.
The station's best known landmark is the huge Unilever detergent manufacturing plant which stands overlooking the site.[2]
The station suffered from years of neglect and, because of this, Virgin Trains announced improvements to the station. In 2009, an extension to the existing car park and a new taxi rank were built, along with improvements to the platforms and a new ticket office and travel centre.[3] [4] The new entrance hall is now complete, with a ticket office and a newsagents. The buffet on the London bound platforms has been modernised, however a first class lounge is yet to materialise.
Until 1965, 2 west-east oriented through platforms, 5 and 6 were situated on what had been the St Helens Railway lines which pass beneath the station and the north-south West Coast Main Line. (The West Coast Main Line had been elevated to pass over the west to east line when the current station was opened in 1868). Although it was not the official title, this part of the station was referred to as Bank Quay Low Level. There was also a bay platform, 7 situated at the eastern end of the site. The line remains for freight use only[5] and there are no longer any passenger platforms on the low level station.
In the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands the UK government proposed reinstating the Low Level station as part of a new connection to Liverpool from HS2[6]
The station lies on the West Coast Main Line, operated by Avanti West Coast, with regular services to London, Birmingham, and Scotland.[7] [8] A regular regional express service operates between Manchester, Chester and North Wales operated by Transport for Wales.[9] Northern operate one early morning service per day to Ellesmere Port via Helsby with returning evening service.[10] The regular electric local service to and from Liverpool Lime Street that ran up until spring 2020 no longer operates.
Normal weekday service consists of: