Newton-le-Willows station

The Newton-le-Willows station near Warrington underwent a major redevelopment as part of a larger bus/train interchange.

Sited midway between Liverpool and Manchester, the station has created a transport hub linking up to the local transport network with strategic rail links across the country, building on the electrification works that had taken place on the line. It is also supporting the development of the nearby former Parkside Colliery site.

Newton-le-Willows station was originally built in 1845 on the first ever railway line from Manchester to Liverpool which featured Stephenson’s Rocket. The old ticket office and the Sankey viaduct immediately to the west of the station are both listed and the interface with our works required extra considerations particularly with regard to potential movement.

The main features are a new station entrance and ticket office with sedum roof and photovoltaic arrays, new subway and lifts with shafts, new toilet facilities, new lighting and improved passenger waiting facilities.

The subway was constructed while the railway line was in use. Pipe jacking which would ordinarily be used for this type of work was ruled out because it didn’t provide the sufficient control of settlement necessary to enable trains to continue running. Instead we used a novel tube canopy system which featured the driving of steel tubes in a goalposts shape through the embankment below the railway line and then excavating within them.