Notes: Widnes South station opened as Widnes on the 1st March 1870. The station was situated on the Widnes Deviation line, which was built by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) as part of a £100,000 package of improvements designed to make traffic movements at Widnes flow more easily.

The Deviation line which opened to goods traffic on the 1st April 1869 branched off from the original Garston to Warrington railway at a point slightly to the west of the 1852 Widnes Station and it ran for just under 1.5 miles to the north of the original line before rejoining it at Carterhouse bridge which became known as Carterhouse Junction. The Deviation line passed over the 1833 St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway, which ran between St. Helens and Widnes on a bridge. The original Garston and Warrington line crossed the St Helens line on the level causing much congestion. As well as passing over the St. Helens line the Deviation was provided with a spur connection to it which allowed the new station to serve both lines.

Upon opening of the new Widnes Station the original station at Waterloo Crossing closed. The 1870 station was situated on an embankment on the east side of the bridge that carried the line over Victoria Road. A street level single storey brick built building, situated on the south side of the line, provided staff accommodation, the booking office and a parcels office. Two platforms were provided. The westbound platform was connected to the booking office by a set of steps. The eastbound platform connected down to Victoria Road by a set of steps.

Each platform had a single storey timber built building with canopy, which provided waiting facilities for passengers. There was also a shed on each platform that was used by station staff for storage. At the east end of the westbound platform there was a wooden built signalbox designated Widnes No. 7. The signalbox controlled the junction between the main line and the spur that ran down to the St Helens line.

When the original lines to Garston and Warrington had been built in 1852 and 1853 by the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway Company, who by 1845 had become the St Helens Canal and Railway Company, the intention was that it would become a main line railway connecting Liverpool and Manchester that would rival the LNWR’s line that connected the two cities via Chat Moss. Once the LNWR became the owners of the Garston and Warrington line they had other ideas. The LNWR decided that the Chat Moss route would remain as the premier main line and that the route through Widnes would be for freight and local passenger services.

At the time of opening Widnes Station was served by trains that ran between Liverpool and Manchester and shorter workings along the route. Some trains from Liverpool terminated at Widnes station. St Helens line trains also served the station running between Ditton Junction and St Helens.

Before a decade had passed Widnes Station became subject to competition when a new line was opened by the Manchester Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway and the Midland Railway (MSLR/MR Joint) only a few hundred metres away to the north. A passenger station was on provided on the western side of Victoria Road. It was called Widnes Central and opened on the 1st August 1879. The MSLR/MR station was also served by trains running between Liverpool and Manchester but on a different route.

In 1911 a railmotor service was introduced on the St Helens line which became known locally as the ‘Ditton Dodger’. Twelve trains ran on weekdays in each direction and additional stations were opened. Local traffic running along the main line continued to be buoyant even with the competition from the nearby Widnes Central.

In 1923 Widnes Station became part of the London Midland Scottish Railway (LMS). Very little changed and passenger service patterns continued as they had done previously.

During the Second World War services on the St Helens line were reduced to only three trains in the morning peak and three in the afternoon on weekdays only. After the war was over the service remained at this level but some mid-day services for shoppers did run on Saturdays.

In 1948 Widnes Station became part of the British Railways (London Midland Region). So to did Widnes Central. The new nationalised railway company operated more Liverpool to Manchester trains via Widnes Central than it did via Widnes. On the 16th of June 1951 the ‘Ditton Dodger’ service was withdrawn despite much local opposition. It had never been restored to its pre war levels and no effort had been made to make the best of potential connections with other services.
In the 1950s most of the services at Widnes Station ran on a Ditton Junction to Manchester Oxford Road axis with only a few connecting through to Liverpool. Some of the few Liverpool services that did operate only went as far as Warrington Bank Quay Low Level. At this time a Saturdays only long distance train, the ‘York Mail’ called at Widnes giving local people a travel opportunity not usually available. Many special train services ran from Widnes Station in the 1950s including works outings and Rugby League Supporters trains.

On the 5th of January 1959 Widnes Station was renamed as ‘Widnes South’. At the same time Farnworth Station on the former CLC main line a few miles to the north was renamed as Widnes North. For a brief period in the late 1950s Diesel Multiple Units (DMUs) were introduced to the Ditton to Manchester Oxford Road Service but they were short lived as by 1960 steam hauled ‘push and pull’ sets, which had operated previously were the norm.

On the 10th September 1962 the Ditton and Manchester Oxford Road Service was withdrawn and Widnes South Station closed to passengers. Widnes passengers could still travel to Liverpool, Warrington and Manchester from the nearby Widnes Central station, which lasted until October 1964. The York Mail continued to pass through until 1965 but it did not stop. Rugby League specials operated from Widnes South up until 1965. The station closed completely on the 31st March 1969.

Goods services continued to pass through the station after closure as they still do today. The spur to the St Helens line however was closed in April 1982 along with the last sections of that line in Widnes. Widnes No. 7 Box closed at the same time.

To see the other stations on the Ditton Junction to Skelton Junction Line click on the station name: Ditton, Cuerdley, Fidlers Ferry & Penketh, Sankey Bridges, Warrington Bank Quay Low Level, Warrington Arpley, Latchford, Thelwall, Lymm, Heatley & Warburton,
Dunham Massey & Broadheath.