‘World’s oldest train station’ is UK spot built nearly 200 years ago | UK | News
We have a strong relationship with railways in the UK going back hundreds of years. So it may come as no surprise to learn that the world’s oldest surviving railway station is right here in Britain.
Liverpool Road Station in Manchester was built in 1830, almost 200 years ago. Forming a key part of the historic Liverpool and Manchester railway, this transport hub has become revolutionary when it comes to trade and travel in the region. And it was the world’s first steam-powered intercity railway, built to connect Liverpool, which was then undergoing industrial transformation, with Manchester.
It actually operated solely as a railway station for 14 years until it closed in 1844 due to the opening of nearby Manchester Victoria station.
However, it continued to operate as a goods station until 1975 and was closed and preserved a few years later. According to Guinness World Records, it is the oldest surviving station building anywhere in the world.
Now a Grade I Listed Building, the station now forms part of the Museum of Science and Industry. But it used to play a major role in the development of the UK railway system.
The site included a brick viaduct, canal-style depots and one of the first modern girder bridges to help trains cross Water Street in central Manchester.
While passengers were transported to the station by horse-drawn carriages, first and second class passengers had to buy their tickets in separate halls. The luggage was then loaded onto the roof of the carriage and passengers were then allowed to board by ringing the bell, which is still on display in the station building.
The station ended passenger services when nearby Victoria station opened in 1844 and was subsequently converted into a goods depot from 1923 to 1948.
After the UK railways were nationalized in 1948, they were taken over by British Railways until their closure some 30 years later.
When this happened one of its warehouses was purchased by Granada and was partly used for the set of Coronation Street. When Liverpool Road ceased rail operations in the 1970s, Earlestown Station, located near Newton-le-Willows, became the oldest station still in use today, according to the National Transport Trust.
