West Kirby is the terminus of the West Kirby branch of the Wirral Line of Merseyrail.
Merseyrail 507 002 stands at West Kirby
Information
Type:
National Rail (Merseyrail Wirral Line)
Station code:
WKI
Opened:
1878
Platforms:
2
The station was opened by the Hoylake and Birkenhead Railway & Tramway (later the Wirral Railway) in 1878 at the end of an extension of their line from Hoylake. A further line from Hooton was built to West Kirby in 1895. The station was moved at this time to the west to its present location, parts of the station including the clock tower from this build still survive [1]. The station and line was a success and the line was doubled in the late 1890s [2].
The line to West Kirby from Birkenhead was electrified by the LMS using 650v DC third rail in 1938. Art Deco concrete canopies were built over the platform which remain to the present day. The line to Hooton was closed in 1956, West Kirby's goods yard closed in 1965 though a siding remains for stock storage [3].
All services are operated by Merseyrail with trains to Liverpool every 15 minutes at peak times.
Station entrance
View down the platform and under the canopies
View down the uncovered part of the platform
Station nameboard
507 016 arrives
[1] Jonathan Cadwallader & Martin Jenkins, Merseyside Electrics (Ian Allan, 2010) p. 74 [2] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Birkenhead to West Kirby (Middleton Press, 2014) map. XIV [3] Ibid. figp. 64
