Passenger Numbers
This page gives details of the number of people using Walkden station.
To understand how services from Walkden are being used, FOWS volunteers conducted a count of passengers boarding and alighting each train from the first train of the day (the 06.29 to Manchester) until 1.30pm. GMPTE have also kindly shared the results of the passenger counts which they conduct annually on stations in the Greater Manchester area, which enables us to measure trends over time and make comparisons with other stations. Both the FOWS and GMPTE surveys are conducted on weekday mornings in November.
The FOWS Passenger Count of 2007 took place on a cold Thursday morning, the 22nd November. Passenger numbers were relatively light on the day, possibly due to the fact that dozens of commuters had been unable to board over-crowded trains the day before. On the day of the survey many trains were full to capacity but no passengers were unable to board.
Of 22 trains, just over half (12) were formed by the unpopular "Pacer" class 142 trains. 6 trains were formed from slightly larger class 150 units, and just 4 were the longer-bodied class 156 units. All but two trains comprised of just two carriages.
The two charts below show the number of passengers boarding and alighting from each train during the survey hours
of 06.29 to 13.30. Unsurprisingly services toward Manchester were far busier than toward Wigan in the morning, and
the rush hour peak can clearly be seen with 72 passengers managing to squeeze aboard the two carriages of the 0801
which was already carrying dozens of standing passengers when it arrived at Walkden.
Growth of Inbound Passenger Numbers
The chart on the left uses data from GMPTE's surveys from 2003-2007 to show the dramatic rise in passengers travelling inbound (toward Manchester) in the morning peak each year since 2004. From 2004's figure of 108 passengers volumes grew almost 70% to 182 in 2007. FOWS believe this chart clearly shows how much demand for rail services from Walkden has increased year-by-year whilst the number of services and seats has remained virtually constant. |
Comparison of Passenger Numbers at Stations Along the Atherton Line
The chart on the left compares passenger numbers from GMPTE's surveys over the past 17 years. It can be seen that passenger numbers have grown markedly in recent years at virtually all stations. In terms of comparison with other stations on the line, Walkden is second only to Atherton and - very narrowly - Daisy Hill. Walkden is clearly busier than Hindley, Hag Fold, Moorside and Swinton. |
