Future of Altrincham Station

Lord Stamford returns to take up residence in Dunham Hall

GMPTE is now consulting the public on the detail of its £19 million scheme to revamp Altrincham Interchange. The scheme is one of a number being taken forward as part of a £1.5 billion list of public transport schemes approved by AGMA (the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities).

There has been a long-felt need to improve disabled access between platforms 1 and 4 at Altrincham and this scheme will provide a new footbridge with lifts on both platforms 1 and 4. There will also be stairs down to both of those platforms and down to platforms 2 and 3. There may also be a lift down to platforms 2 and 3, if GMPTE is successful in applying for a derogation, because the island platform 2 and 3 is too narrow to fulfill current standards for the installation of a lift. The existing station footbridge, which dates from the opening of the station in 1881, will unfortunately be demolished as part of the scheme but we have been assured that the platform canopies will be retained where possible. We suggested that lift towers could be built alongside the existing footbridge but we were told that the existing footbridge cannot be retained because it does not line up with the Altair development, which is planned for the car park area behind platform 4. It is planned to combine the booking office and the GMPTE travelshop into a single ticket sales outlet, which will be located in the existing building on platform 1.

The bus station is to be completely rebuilt with a single line of seven bus stands in place of the present arrangement. Questions have been asked as to whether seven stands will be sufficient to cater for any future growth in bus usage but we have been assured that that will not be a problem. The clock tower, which is listed, will be retained.
Work is due to start on site in early 2011 with completion in 2013. It remains to be seen whether the severe cutbacks in public expenditure which the new coalition Government is planning have any effect on this timescale. The scheme does not use any Government money but of course most local authority funding comes from taxpayers.

Keep ypou eyes open for any local consultation announcements and make your views known.

Altrincham Railway Station

When the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway opened in 1849 the town of Altrincham was served by two Stations; Altrincham which was alongside the Stockport Road level crossing (near the current Old Mill public house) and Bowdon which occupied the site of the current health club on Lloyd Street.

These two stations; were replaced by the current station buildings in 1881 to provide additional capacity at a more central location. As a result until 1971 the station carried the name "Altrincham and Bowdon".

A description of the Altrincham station building has been provided by the Victorian Society:

"The Main building [on platform 1] is a long single-storey range in red-orange brick with stone dressings. A central block with a high-hipped roof contains the booking hall and this is linked by symmetrical wings to pavilions at each end. The building is given character by the use of coloured bricks in the voussoirs of the window and door arches. The extensive platform awnings are glazed and are supported by cast iron columns and arched brackets. The effect is elegant and pleasing..."

"The method of supporting the platform awnings and the use of coloured brick at Altrincham may also be seen in the brickwork and roof of the main shed at London Road [Piccadilly] station, and one may therefore conclude that the LNWR architect's office was responsible for the design of Altrincham."