Manchester–Southport line

Manchester–Southport line
A Northern Class 158 departing Hag Fold railway station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleGreater Manchester
Lancashire
Merseyside
North West England
Service
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)Northern Trains
History
Opened1855/1888
Technical
Line length35.75 miles
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in
(1,435 mm)
standard gauge
Route map

(Click to expand)

The Manchester–Southport line is a railway line in the north-west of England, operated by Northern Trains. It was originally built as the Manchester and Southport Railway. The section between Wigan and Salford is also known locally as the Atherton Line.

Starting at the city centre stations of Manchester Victoria (also serving Salford Central on the fringe of the city centre) and Manchester Piccadilly (also serving Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate), it runs in a north-western direction through the towns, villages and suburbs of the City of Salford and Wigan. It then proceeds in the same direction through the small rural villages of West Lancashire, before ending on the Irish Sea coast at the resort town of Southport.