Didsbury railway station

This article is about the former Midland Railway station (1880–1967). For the present-day National Rail station, see East Didsbury railway station.

Didsbury Village
Manchester Metrolink
The site of Didsbury station, now a row of cafés and bars.
Location
Place	Didsbury
Local authority	City of Manchester
Platforms	2
Fare zone information
Metrolink Zone
Present status	Disused
Operations
Original operator	Cheshire Lines Committee
Pre-grouping company	Midland Railway
Post-grouping company	LMS London Midland Region of British Railways
History
Opened	1 January 1880
Closed	1967
Conversion to Metrolink operation	Summer 2013
South Manchester Line to Piccadilly and Bury Deansgate-Castlefield Deansgate Cornbrook to Eccles Trafford Bar to Altrincham Firswood Chorlton St Werburgh's Road to Manchester Airport Withington Burton Road West Didsbury Didsbury Village East Didsbury
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
A B C D-F G H-J K-L M-O P-R S T-V W-Z
UK Trams portal

Didsbury railway station is a former station in Didsbury, in the southern suburbs of Manchester, England, United Kingdom. The station was located on Wilmslow Road, just north of the junction with Barlow Moor Road and opposite Didsbury Library. Nothing now remains of the old station buildings, which have been demolished, but the surviving white Portland stone clock tower is a local landmark. The old trackbed remains and there are plans to re-open the line for light rail passenger services as part of the Manchester Metrolink network.^[1]

History

Midland Railway lines into Manchester showing the Manchester South District Line

Didsbury Station opened in 1880 when the Midland Railway opened the new Manchester South District line which ran from Manchester Central Station.^[2]

The Manchester South District line, and consequently Didsbury station, closed in 1967 under the Beeching Axe. For a number of years the station building was used as a hardware store, but after this closed the building fell derelict and was demolished in the early 1980s.^[2] The site today is occupied by a row of pubs and cafés. All that remains of the old station is the clock tower and drinking fountain which were erected to the memory of a local doctor and campaigner for the poor, Dr. J. Milson Rhodes.

Future plans

Didsbury Village Metrolink Station is a future station proposed in Phase 3B of the Manchester Metrolink Big Bang extension plans.^[3][4]

Didsbury Village will be located on the east side of School Lane, with ramps descending to the platforms and access to Olive Shapley Avenue, Didsbury. The stop will be in an existing cutting. Passengers again will be able to travel by rail to Manchester and East Didsbury for the first time since 1967, when the Midland route from Manchester Central Station was closed as part of the Beeching Axe. The new station is scheduled to open in the summer of 2013^[5]

See also

• Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee
• Midland Railway
• Withington and West Didsbury railway station

References

• http://www.lrta.org/Manchester/City_South.html

• 

  The line running under School Lane

• 

  The station clock

• 

  Plaque on the station clock

• 

  Didsbury station on a 1905 OS map

References

1. ^ Linton, Deborah (2009-05-13). "£1.4bn transport deal unveiled". Manchester Evening News. http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1115242_14bn_transport_deal_unveiled. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Sussex, Gay; Helm, Peter (1988). Looking Back at Withington and Didsbury. Timperley: Willow Publishing. pp. inside front cover. ISBN 0946361258. 
3. ^ "Tram line extension is approved". BBC News. 2009-05-13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/8047020.stm. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
4. ^ "Metrolink: back on track?". BBC Manchester. 2009-05-13. http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2009/05/13/130509_metrolink_map_plan_b_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
5. ^ "Metrolink - South Manchester line". Transport for Greater Manchester. http://www.metrolink.co.uk/futuremetrolink/south-manchester-line.asp. Retrieved 26 June 2011. 

Preceding station		Manchester Metrolink		Following station
		Under Construction
East Didsbury Terminus		South Manchester Line		West Didsbury towards Piccadilly Gardens
	Disused railways
Withington and West Didsbury Line and station closed		Midland Railway South District Railway		Heaton Mersey Line and station closed

Coordinates: 53°25′07″N 2°13′53″W / 53.418626°N 2.231334°W / 53.418626; -2.231334