Sandhills railway station

Sandhills
Merseyrail Class 508 at Platform 1 in 2012
General information
Location	Kirkdale, Liverpool England
Coordinates	53°25′48″N 2°59′30″W / 53.4300°N 2.9917°W / 53.4300; -2.9917
Grid reference	SJ342930
Managed by	Merseyrail
Transit authority	Merseytravel
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	SDL
Fare zone	C1
Classification	DfT category E
History
Original company	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1854	Opened as Liverpool North Docks
about 1855	Renamed North Docks
1857	Renamed Sandhills
By July 1881	Platforms relocated
1974	Station refurbished
2008	Station refurbished
Passengers
2019/20	1.299 million
2020/21	0.342 million
Interchange	0.123 million
2021/22	0.815 million
Interchange	0.232 million
2022/23	0.779 million
Interchange	0.556 million
2023/24	0.858 million
Interchange	0.599 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Sandhills railway station is a railway station in Kirkdale, Liverpool, England, located to the north of the city centre on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network. It was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and now stands at the junction between the branch to Southport and the branch to Ormskirk and Kirkby.

The two platforms form a single island, overlooking the River Mersey on one side, and the former industrial area of Commercial Road on the other. It is also used by football fans heading for Liverpool F.C. and Everton F.C. matches: a bus service called Soccerbus runs between the station and the football stadiums on match-days only.^[1]

Previously passengers had to walk up a ramp to reach the ticket office, then through a subway and up ramps to reach the platform. Now the ramp remains, with alternate staircase. Leading to a lift directly into the Booking Office, accessing both sides of the island platforms.

The line through the site of the station was opened by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) on 20 November 1848, other stations on the line opened at this time but there was no mention of this one, the first mention of this station was in the July 1854 edition of Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation Guide, for Great Britain and Ireland when the station was called Liverpool North Docks, sometime shortly afterwards its name was shortened to just North Docks. The station was renamed Sandhills in 1857.^[2]

The station was situated on the north side of Sandhills Lane, there were two platforms, one to the east of the twin running lines and an island platform to the west between the main running lines and two lines forming a loop on that side of the station, but not serving the station. The station building was located east of these lines.^[3]

The platforms were moved from north to south of Sandhills Lane by 9 July 1881.^[2] By 1890 there were four platform faces, one either side of the four-track running lines and an island platform serving the inner two lines. The outer platforms had waiting rooms with a small canopy in front of them over the platform. The booking office was located to the south of the eastern platform.^[4]

By 1966 the island platform had also acquired a waiting room with a small canopy. Prior to the 1974 refurbishment the outer platforms were wooden on concrete supports, the island platform had concrete slabs for the platform surface on concrete supports. The island platform was the only one to remain open after the 1974 refurbishment.^[5]

The station was sometimes known as Sandhills for North Docks.^[2]

The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway amalgamated with the London and North Western Railway on 1 January 1922 and in turn was Grouped into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1923. Nationalisation followed in 1948 and in 1978 the station became part of the Merseyrail Network's Northern Line (operated by British Rail until privatised in 1995).

An extensive refurbishment plan for the station was suggested in 2006 which involved the building of a completely new booking hall and greatly improved facilities on the platform. A large canopy was constructed - originally intended to cover the entire length of the platform, but now eventually covering approximately half. In addition, a dedicated bus-rail interchange point was built, improving transport beyond the station to localities such as Kirkdale, Anfield and Everton. On 24 April 2007, improvement works to the station at a cost of £6 million were agreed. In November 2007, it was announced that the station would be closed from 17 November 2007 until March 2008 for refurbishment.^[6] The refurbishment work was extended until July 2008, when the station reopened in a partly completed state. The full completion of the work at the station was finished in early 2009.

Between March and December 2024, the station is due to have its capacity increased as part of the development of Liverpool Waters.^[7]

The station is staffed 15 minutes before the first service and 15 minutes after the last service. There are toilets, platform CCTV and a booking office. There are departure and arrival screens on the platform for passenger information. Each of the two platforms has sheltered seating. The station does not have a car park, though there is a cycle rack with 10 spaces. The station is fully wheelchair accessible and access to the station is via lifts and ramps.^[8]

Off-peak service frequency is as follows:

• 4 trains per hour (tph) to Southport^[9]
• 4 tph to Ormskirk
• 4 tph to Headbolt Lane
• 12 tph to Liverpool Central
  • of which 4 tph continue to Hunts Cross

During late evenings and on Sundays, frequencies are reduced to 2 tph on the Ormskirk and Headbolt Lane lines. On Sundays, frequencies are reduced to 2 tph beyond Liverpool Central to Hunts Cross and to Southport, giving a total 6 tph from all lines between Sandhills and Liverpool Central.

• 
  Sandhills station in 1979
• 
  The main entrance, viewed from platform 1
• 
  Platform 1, with Alexandra Tower in the distance
• 
  A Merseyrail Class 508 arrives with a service from Liverpool.
• 
  A Merseyrail Class 507 arrives with a service from Liverpool.

In the early nineteenth century, the estate of Sandhills was purchased by Liverpool solicitor and land speculator, John Leigh (1752-1823). As well as building a 'handsome house, where he had beautiful gardens, complete with hothouses and conservatories'. He also turned much of the pasture land to clay pits and brickworks needed to fuel the rapid growth of Liverpool - he reputedly lowered the ground level by seven or eight feet (well over two metres). His son, John Shaw Leigh (1791-1871) reaped the most benefit, selling plots piecemeal at huge profits to supply the land needed for the expanding docks and railways.^[10]

• Awdry, Christopher (1990). Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies. London: Guild Publishing. CN 8983.
• Pixton, Bob (2008). Liverpool and Manchester 3:Lancashire & Yorkshire Lines. Kestrel Railway Books. ISBN 978-1-905505-07-4.
• Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sandhills railway station.

• Train times and station information for Sandhills railway station from National Rail
• Station information for Sandhills railway station from Merseyrail

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Bank Hall towards Southport		Merseyrail Northern Line Southport Branch		Moorfields towards Liverpool Central or Hunts Cross
Kirkdale towards Ormskirk or Headbolt Lane		Merseyrail Northern Line Kirkby/Ormskirk Branch
	Historical railways
Bank Hall Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Crosby and Southport Railway		Liverpool Exchange Line and station closed
Kirkdale Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway Liverpool and Bury Railway