Coal mining was the chief motivation for building a railway in the area and the railway's supporters included many local colliery owners and industrialists.[1] The London and North Western Railway obtained an Act of Parliament to build a line through Tyldesley in 1861 and the first sod was cut by the Earl of Ellesmere at Worsley in the September. At that time the Tyldesley had the largest population of all the townships in the old Leigh parish and was destined to become the line's "premier station".[2]
The ceremonial opening of the line took place on 24 August 1864.[2] A special train of 18 coaches decorated with flags set off from Hunt's Bank in Manchester before stopping at Eccles, Worsley and Ellenbrook. The streets of Tyldesley were decorated with flags and banners and the population crowded to greet the train which left for Bradshaw Leach. The train returned to Tyldesley and set out for Wigan via Chowbent, Hindley and Platt Bridge before once again returning to Tyldesley. Here the railway directors and their guests joined a procession around the town led by a band, members of local friendly societies and more than 2,000 children.[3]
Tyldesley station, in common with other stations on the Manchester to Wigan Line, was opened to the public on 1 September 1864.[4]
Tyldesley station was of timber construction, it had a booking office and first and second class waiting rooms. It had three through platforms, each was 300 feet long and protected by glass canopies. Two platforms were on an island platform reached by a subway. A goods station was built to the east.[4]
My Father had been the Station Master that covered the stations on the line. The Winters of 1963 and 64 were so severe the Pennines froze 6 feet deep. Work stopped on the construction of the M62 motorway. In 1964 the cost of putting a railway bridge over the Motorway was £500,000. Harold Wilson the Prime Minister decided to close the line even though it ran at a small profit.
The Tyldesley Loopline closed following the Beeching Axe on 5 May 1969 and Tyldesley and all other stations along the line were closed.[6]
The former trackbed within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan was reserved in the Unitary Development Plan in case the rail route could be reinstated. The cutting in Tyldesley was filled in and the line of the railway was a footpath. The proposal for the Leigh-Tyldesley area, a guided bus[7] along the former trackbed from Leigh to the A580 East Lancashire Road at Ellenbrook was approved in 2005. Construction of the Leigh-Salford-Manchester Bus Rapid Transit route through the site of the station was completed and opened in April 2016 [8]
