1st visit to Bidston on Merseyrails Wirral Line towards West Kirby and also the terminus and Junction for the Borderlands Line to and from Wrexham Central via Shotton High Level

Featuring services from Merseyrail and Transport For Wales

Bidston was formally opened by the Hoylake Railway on a line from the former Birkenhead Dock to Hoylake.

The Birkenhead Dock station at the time was a tramway interchange to enable connections with nearby Birkenhead Woodside Ferry with the use of Horse drawn trams of the Wirral Tramway.

The station was closed in July 1870 before reopening 2 years later in August 1872. The line was extended westwards by the Hoylake Railway to West Kirby

However due to low traffic Bidston would close again in June 1890 however reopened 5 years and 10 months later in May 1896 as a terminus for the North Wales & Liverpool Railway.

2 years later in 1898 it became a through station interchange when it was connected with the Wrexham, Mold and Connah Quay's Railway line opened by the former Buckley Railway Southern Terminus from Hawarden's Bridge as well as the line being extended to Seacombe.

Electrification of the Wirral Lines date from 1938 which nearly all Merseyrail Network operates under the 750 volt DC 3rd Rail with the only exception being on the Kirkby Line from Kirkby to Headbolt Lane.

In 1960 all services to and from Wrexham were switched to Diesel Trains whilst the line of the former Northern Terminus of Birkenhead Park was diverted towards New Brighton.

An Engine shed was built and opened in 1897 by the former Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway which lasted until its closure in 1963.

Low traffic also resulted the closure of the line from Bidston to New Brighton in 1971 which resulted Wrexham services being cut back to Bidston which since October 1978 to this day became the terminus of the Borderlands Line.

The former signal box of Bidston Dee Junction was closed in September 1994

Today Merseyrail services provide the one every 15 minute headway to and from West Kirby via the Liverpool Loop to and from Liverpool Central provided by Class 777s which entered service on Merseyrail in January 2023 which have nearly completely taken over from the Class 507s and 508s.

The Class 508s were withdrawn in Late 2023 whilst the Class 507s having operated for 46 years were at the time of filming in their last months of operation mainly were working Southport to Hunts Cross services.

The only unit 507001 will be preserved after Retirement.

Transport For Wales operate hourly services to and from Wrexham Central via Platform 2 which nowadays operate with Class 197s as well as former modified London Underground D78 Stock known as Class 230s which are stabled occasionally at Birkenhead North TMD as well as maintained at Chester TMD.

Music used:
JJD - Adventure
Music provided by NCS

Video link:
NoCopyrightSounds
   • JJD - Adventure | Glitch Hop | NCS - ...  

Filmed on Thursday May 16th 2024 on iPhone 15 Pro and edited on iMovie

#merseyrail #transportforwales #class197 #class507 #class777 #birkenhead #merseyside #caf #stadler