Chester–Manchester line

Both routes to Manchester share the Chester to Crewe line for a short distance to Brook Lane Junction where the Manchester lines diverge to Mickle Trafford at which point the southern route of the Cheshire Lines Committee (see the Mid-Cheshire Line) diverges south-easterly to Mouldsworth whilst the considerably older route (the 1850 Birkenhead Railway[1]) built by the London and North Western Railway and run jointly with the Great Western Railway continues to Helsby (junction from Ellesmere Port), Frodsham (nearest station to the junction for the Halton Curve) and the 1983 station at Runcorn East. It then passes through the Sutton Tunnel (over a mile long) and heads northwards to cross and then run alongside the West Coast Main Line, eventually joining it at Acton Grange Junction en route to Warrington Bank Quay.

From Warrington the route follows the original 1837 Grand Junction Railway northwards through Winwick Junction to Earlestown where it joins George Stephenson's original Liverpool and Manchester Railway, which was the world's first inter-city railway, having opened in 1830. From here this venerable route is via Newton-le-Willows, Patricroft and Eccles and then either via the earlier route to Manchester Victoria station or, as at present, via Ordsall Lane and Castlefield junctions, joining the Manchester–Preston line and on to Deansgate, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly station at platforms 13 & 14.

Transport for Wales operate an hourly service throughout between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester (no trains stop at Deansgate, Eccles or Patricroft) and onwards calling at all stations to Llandudno on the North Wales Coast Line (except in the late evenings and on Sundays, when trains terminate at Chester). Certain services run to or from Holyhead instead of Llandudno on weekdays to connect with the Irish ferries.[2]

Class 175 units are primarily used for the TfW services between Manchester and North Wales, although Class 158 units can appear; Class 142 Pacer and Class 156 Sprinter units are used on the infrequent service between Liverpool/Warrington B.Q. and Ellesmere Port which share the line between Warrington and Helsby.

Since May 2019, an hourly Northern Trains train runs Chester–Warrington Bank Quay–Manchester Victoria–Bradford–Leeds (via the Calder Valley)[3][4] and an hourly TfW train runs from Chester-Helsby-Frodsham-Runcorn-Liverpool South Parkway-Liverpool Lime Street.

It is also used by the Freightliner Group for access to the rail-served maritime freight terminal at Ellesmere Port.

• In March 2015, the Electrification Task Force said that the Manchester to Chester Line (via Warrington Bank Quay) was a Tier 1 priority for being electrified in the CP6 period (2019-2024).[5]
• The new Northern franchise (Arriva Rail North) required the removal and replacement of all Pacer trains by 2020.[4]

• M56 motorway
• A56 road