Atherton railway station

Atherton
Atherton railway station in 2010
General information
Location	Atherton, Wigan England
Coordinates	53°31′44″N 2°28′44″W / 53.529°N 2.479°W / 53.529; -2.479
Grid reference	SD684037
Managed by	Northern Trains
Transit authority	Greater Manchester
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	ATN
Classification	DfT category E
Key dates
1 July 1888	Opened as Atherton Central
1954	Renamed Atherton
Passengers
2019/20	0.330 million
2020/21	65,272
2021/22	0.180 million
2022/23	0.193 million
2023/24	0.205 million
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Atherton railway station (formerly Atherton Central) serves the town of Atherton, Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the line between Wigan and Manchester on the Manchester to Southport Line; according to Office of Rail and Road figures, it is the third busiest station on the line after Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate.^[1]

The station is located 10 miles north-west of Manchester Victoria, with regular Northern Trains services to Kirkby and Southport.

Atherton is the nearest station to Leigh, one of the largest towns in Britain without its own railway station. The 582 bus service provides a frequent service to Leigh and Bolton.

Although it lies some distance from the centre of the town, the present Atherton station was originally named Atherton Central; this was to differentiate it from the now-closed Atherton Bag Lane on the line from Bolton Great Moor Street to Kenyon Junction^[2]) and Howe Bridge on the line between Wigan North Western and Manchester Exchange.