Croston railway station

Croston
General information
Location	Croston, Chorley England
Coordinates	53°40′05″N 2°46′41″W / 53.668°N 2.778°W / 53.668; -2.778
Grid reference	SD487192
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	CSO
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
2 April 1849	Opened[1]
Passengers
2018/19	35,598
2019/20	47,318
2020/21	8,346
2021/22	36,622
2022/23	38,758
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Croston railway station serves the small village of Croston, near Chorley in Lancashire, England; the station is on the Ormskirk Branch Line 7 miles (11 km) south west of Preston. It is unstaffed and the old station buildings are now privately occupied.

The station was built & opened by the Liverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway (later taken over by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway) along with the line in April 1849.^[2] "Line" is the suitable word here, as along the way are clear signs of the former double track trunk route from Preston to Liverpool Exchange, which was severely rationalised (including the reduction to single line working) in 1970.

The line once carried numerous express trains to Glasgow Central Edinburgh, Blackpool North and the Lake District, though Croston was usually served only by local stopping services from Liverpool to Preston and Blackburn.

Trains connect at Ormskirk with Merseyrail services to Liverpool Central. Croston enjoys bus connections to nearby Leyland, Chorley, Southport, and Preston. It is on the B5247 into Bretherton.

The single platform still in use has a shelter & digital information screen, but has no ticket vending facilities. Step-free access is available for disabled travellers.^[3]