Davenport Railway Station
Published by Friends of Davenport Station
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This is an experimental service: it is unofficial and accuracy of the data not guaranteed. Delayed trains are shown in red, but if a train is delayed in departing its starting station, 'On Time' will appear until it does depart or is cancelled.
This is an experimental service: it is unofficial and accuracy of the data not guaranteed. Delayed trains are shown in red, but if a train is delayed in departing its starting station, 'On Time' will appear until it does depart or is cancelled.
This site is for users of Davenport railway station, Stockport, England - and for all the people of Davenport. Our aim is to have plenty of useful information for users of the station, and act as a forum for contributions and suggestions.
Friends of Davenport Station is part of a network of similar groups around the country who support their local station, by liaising with the railway company to encourage train travel and improve the environment of the station and its train services. We are supported by Northern Trains, Transport for Greater Manchester and the national Community Rail Network.
We were founded in 2004, and have remained a small group, but we are in regular contact with the company, and nearby groups regarding local issues. Gardening is a common activity, but this has been restricted due to the presence of invasive japanese knotweed which we first raised with the company in 2006. We have a small picture gallery in the waiting room; community groups are welcome to display their work there. We also have an extensive collection of local history articles on our website davenportstation.org.uk
Contact us via info@davenportstation.org.uk or on twitter @dvnstation
Information here is presented in good faith, but we cannot be responsible if your train (or bus) does not arrive when expected.
Contact
For more information, contributions to the site,
suggested web links, and any other comments and questions,
please email info@
davenportstation.org.uk
The station
Northern Station Information
Network Rail full details for Davenport station
Postal Address of the station:
Davenport Station
Bramhall Lane
Davenport
STOCKPORT
Cheshire
SK3 8SA
Ticket office opening hours: Monday - Friday 06:20 - 12:50
Saturday 07:00 - 13:30
Sunday closed.
For times when the office is closed, there is a self-service ticket machine on the platform. Passengers are required to use this card-only machine; if you only have cash or the ticket you need is not on the machine you must use the machine to get a 'promise to pay' ticket to show to the conductor (or ths staff at your destination) who will sell you a ticket. Not doing so will make you liable to a 'penalty fare'.
About Davenport
Davenport is a mostly-residential, tree-lined, suburb of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. Its focal point is its railway station, which is on the Manchester - Stockport - Buxton line, and it does have a range of facilities within a short distance which make it a particularly good place to live for anyone who does not wish to drive a car.Minutes from the station there are some good quality shops, including convenience stores, a pharmacy, a baker, and a butcher as well as a post office/newsagent. Davenport is well-served by buses to Stockport town centre, and the trains will get you to Manchester Piccadilly station in 20 minutes.
The trains heading away from Stockport offer an instant transfer to the countryside, with pleasant walks along the Middlewood Way and Peak Forest Canal 15 minutes away and the Peak National Park within half an hour.
Stockport's main hospital, Stepping Hill, is a couple of kilometres away, and even the town's cemetery and crematorium are within walking distance. We have a 'green-flag' park, Cale Green Park, incorporating a kids' playground and with Cricket and Lacrosse clubs adjacent. A Methodist church is nearby, and the large late-Victorian Anglican church, St George's, is a short walk towards Stockport.
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Below: Website News | Timetable Posters | Duo Trouble | Timetable Turmoil | Accessibility | Goodbye garden | Timetable change | Strike information | Station 'moving'
Station news
This month should see contractors working on the
station to replace the 1970s -style seats on the
Manchester-bound with seats similar to the ones on the
other side, with arms to assist people to get up. Also
there will be work on the car park ramp, including a
bench for people to rest part of the way up. These
projects are funded by a 'small works' fund awarded to
Transport for Greater Manchester. (The new seats were
our suggestion.) A much larger set of improvements
including lifts to each platform, has been designed in
detail and awaits further funding from the
Government's 'Access for All' fund.
01 July 2022
Station 'Moving'
01 July 2022
Strike information from Northern
Letter from the Regional Stakeholder Manager:
'I'm writing to let you know that, from later today, we're updating our website and customer message to advise customers not to travel from 21 to 26 June.
'Our ability to run services on strike days is severely limited, and the timing of the strike action - on 21, 23 and 25 June - will also significantly impact the days either side. To put it into context, one day of strike action will have a knock-on impact of up to 48 hours because of shift patterns and the complexity of our network.
'Because of this, the simplest and clearest message to customers is not to travel and to find alternative means of transport where possible. We're continuing to work with industry partners on the days in between strikes, and we'll keep you updated if anything changes.
'Due to availability and the sheer scale of disruption across the country, we won't be able to operate replacement bus services during strike action.'
10 June 2022
Timetable
Change and discussion
Timetables changed across the country from 15 May, although the 'temporary' timetable on our line has become permanent until at least October, probably December. There are still no paper timetable leaflets available, or posters at the station, but you can download copies - including a 'print-friendly version' from the advert-ridden Northern website (our line is timetable no. N20).
As so often, the tables contain unnecessary computer-generated quirks, such as separate columns for Monday-Friday and Saturday times, even though they are different by just one or two minutes. The service itself is still far from satisfactory, espcially the long gap in trains to Manchester between 08:17 and 09:07. The 07:34 from Buxton to Manchester which is currently calling at Davenport and Woodsmoor will cease to do so in July, thos leaving a one-hour gap between 08:06 and 09:07. Peak-time fares are being charged for a service worse than in the off-peak.
The late-evening service from Manchester is also poor, with no departures from Piccadilly between 22:10 and 23:24 except on Saturdays when the 23:07, which doesn't stop here Monday-Friday, does call, whilst the 23:24 Manchester - Hazel Grove does not run on Saturdays.
The timing of weekday Manchester - Buxton trains can catch you out: departure times from Manchester Piccadilly vary from a so-called 'clock-face' arrangement. In the morning and evening they depart Piccadilly at xx:24, whilst in the middle of the day (from 10:08) it's xx:08. There's a 16:08 and also a 16:24! Don't ask us why. The Blackpool - Hazel Grove trains depart Piccadilly at xx:47 through out the day until the last one of the day at 21:44.
Other traps from the unwary: Most Buxton - Manchester trains do not call at Heaton Chapel, although they do serve Levenshulme. Manchester - Buxton trains mostly stop at both. Hazel Grove - Blackpool trains call at Deansgate, but don't in the other direction except at 16:40, 17:39 and 18:40. Irritating, as Deansgate is useful for Metrolink connections to/from the East Disbury and Airport routes which don't serve Piccadilly.
Sunday services remain hourly, with the same irritating gaps in the service to Middlewood on a day when many would wish to visit the Middlewood Way.
Why these deficiencies? Well, take your pick between Pandemic-related staff shortages, 'industrial' unrest, or cuts imposed by the Department of Transport to save money.
18 May 2022
Website news
We have a New Local History feature covering the lost villa 'Highfield' and what happened to its estate in the Beechfield Road area.
21 April 2022
Station news and Ticket update
Following a meeting with our local manager,
Manchester Central Zone does now appear on the
'Quick Ticket' list. Apparently this list is updated
automatically according to the number of tickets
bought, so let's hope it stays there. Curiously,
Chinley also appears on the list: at present there
is no direct service from here, and just four per
day from Stockport. Otherwise it is necessary to
travel via Manchester or walk across New Mills.
In other news: a planter has been ordered for the
Manchester-bound platform, which will be tended by
Davenport Guides; this should brighten-up the
station somewhat. Meanwhile we intend to
re-plant the traditional garden area on the other
platform. Watch this space...
A submission has been made by Transport for Greater
Manchester to the Government under the 'Access for
All' scheme to provide lifts between the street and
both platforms. This would involve the removal of
the stairs by the booking office, and the excavation
of the area between the stairs and bridge on the
other side. We'll write more about this
project if and when it is accepted.
21 April 2022
December 2022 timetable
Our MP Navensu Mishra has passed to us a letter he
has received from GM Mayor Andy Burnham, following
our raising with him the removal from December of
through trains from Davenport and other Stockport
stations to and from points beyond Manchester
Piccadilly. You
can read it here.
Sadly there is no change to change to the December
timetable, which we are told will be the same as the
current one.
21 April 2022
Bus news
As from 24 April, the Stagecoach 374 bus service Stockport - Adswood - Davenport - New House Farm - Hazel Grove station - Torkington runs in the evenings and on Sundays as well on weekdays. Timetable here.
21 April 2022
Ticket Machine and timetable update
We observe that the ticket machines have had a software upgrade to make purchases of Duo tickets simpler. However, Manchester still does not appear on the 'quick tickets' screen, and when looking for Manchester you need to take care to select the 'Manchester Central Zone' option. Choosing 'Manchester Piccadilly' results in 'No tickets available.' We have reported this to Northern.
The out-of-date timetable posters have now been removed. The correct timetable can be downloaded from Northern's Timetable Page. The issue of printed versions has been suspended. We notice that the current calls at Woodsmoor and Davenport of the 07:35 from Buxton will cease from July, leaving us with an hour's gap in services to Manchester from 08:07 to 09:07. The reason given to us by Northern is that calling here tends to delay the following East Midlands Railway service by a short time causing Northern to be 'fined' according to the crazy rules of the privatised railway.
06 April 2022
White lines
A picture of the Peak Forest - Salford Hope Street stone train passing Davenport on 16 March. Notice anything different? Yes, the white lines on the platform edge, said to be compulsory on stations, have been restored, having been invisible for several years!
22 March 2020
Timetable posters
Passengers should note that, at the time of writing, the timetable posters on display at Buxton line stations are incorrect in the weekday listings, as they do not reflect some recent changes. Below are a few, which create long intervals between trains:The 07:35 Buxton - Manchester now does call at Woodsmoor (08:15) and Davenport (08:17). The next service from Davenport towards Manchester is at 09:07. Passengers from Buxton to Davenport who miss the 07:35 from Buxton must wait until the 09:02 from Buxton, arriving at 09:40.
In the afternoon, there is a train from Buxton to Manchester - out of the normal sequence presumably for the benefit of students - departing from Buxton at 15:34, calling at Davenport at 16:15. The next train from Buxton is at 16:58, calling at Davenport at 17:40.
There may be others that we haven't spotted, do check on-line before travelling. It appears that these timings, somewhat inconvenent for many travellers, continue into the Summer timetable.
17 March 2022
Duo Trouble
Northern have a scheme by which, outside 'peak times', if two adults are travelling together in both directions, the second person travels for half the normal return fare. (See their website). However, if you attempt to buy a 'Duo' using the self-service machine at the station, you may find yourself rather perplexed.We have prepared a short guide, with help from Northern's Twitter team, explaining how to find the Duo fare and showing how we finally managed it. It can be downloaded here. Good luck!
Incidentally, if you travel together more than a few times per year frequently, the national Two Together Railcard is an even cheaper solution: both of you get a 33% discount on all journeys outside the morning peak periods.
3 March 2022
Timetable Turmoil
Northern, despite their YouTube advert about
'welcoming you back' are having trouble maintaining
their service. Fot the last few weeks a 'temporary
timetable' has applied to our line, said to be valid
until 28 February. A feature of this timetable is that
the 07:35 Buxton - Manchester has been calling
usefully at Woodsmoor and Davenport (08:17), something
which we have repratedly told was 'not possible for
operational reasons'. However, on the down side, there
is no further train to Manchester until 09:07. Over
the week Monday - Friday ending 26 February the 08:17
from Davenport as been has been reduced to two
carriages once and cancelled twice. We are now told that this reduced timetable, and those on other lines, will continue until May. Northern say:
To give our customers more certainty about their train service, with fewer short notice cancellations, it was agreed that the timetables currently in place will continue until May. I’ll be back in touch to talk about timetables from May soon. This is because of sustained pressure on our staffing levels for a number of reasons.We understand that the 'number of reasons' include the continuing issue regarding voluntary 'rest-day' working, which has been rumbling on since 'privatisation' in the 1990s, and continues now that the company has been re-nationalised. Sadly, it's vital to check your train online on this page or at www.journeycheck.com/northern/ on the day of travel. The planned can be downloaded from the Northern website.
Be aware that, at the time of writing this, the timetable poster displayed on the Manchester-bound platform is incorrect.
28 February 2022
Spring Bulbs
At least some of our bulbs escaped the recent destruction...
Accessibility
In recent months the inaccessabilty of the station by persons of restricted mobility has been out under a spotlight, along with many other Greater Manchester stations. The sad fact is due to the confined space in which it was built in Victorian times, and access by steps from the road overbridge, does not meet in any way the legal requirements. To rectify this situation would be very difficult, as the necessary ramps would need to be very long, and conflict with the current station structures.Our detailed report, as sent to local councillors in November 2021, is available on this link.
20 January 2022
Goodbye garden
Traditionally a small garden has been maintained on the Buxton-bound platform, and for some years we have tried to revive this in a small way, but due to the growth of Japanese Knotweed requiring drastic treatment, all has come to nothing, for the forseeable future, at least on this side of the station.
A look back at happier times. Above, 2016.
20 January 2022
Visit our Archive for earlier items