I like Stockport Station, it's a great, large station for a small town, it's on a good number of…read moreroutes and has easy access into the town centre as well as buses to continue onto your journey, once arriving into the station. Avanti West Coast manages the station; it's served by a good number of operators including: Transport For Wales, CrossCountry, Transpennine Express, Northern and East Midlands Railway. Most services go into Manchester Piccadilly which is only 7-14 minutes away, depending on which service you take but then you can go to a lot of destinations including London, Norwich, Sheffield and Liverpool. If you're heading into Manchester, you'll want the Northbound platforms (3 and 4) There is a Starbucks inside the station which is temporarily closed at the time of writing (January 2021), as well as a WHSmith, both on Platform 2 (London / Southbound platform) The staff inside the station are friendly and there's a good amount of ticket machines. The station is slightly open so it can get pretty cold if you're waiting for a train, compared to Manchester Piccadilly. There is lift-access to all platforms from the subway level. 4*

As explained by others, Stockport is a major transport hub in Greater Manchester as some Victorian…read morebylaw passed at the time the viaduct was built means trains passing over it have to stop here. Given that it is a bit surprising there aren't any substantial shops - it's mostly small outlets for food and drink to take away. These options are mostly terrible...Starbucks etc. However I'm not sure when this started but in recent months I have noticed food stalls in the underpass beneath the platforms. I've had several good quiches from Cheese is Grate who also sell local cheese, cakes and soup I think on a Tuesday and Wednesday. Most excitingly, my Kirkham (Preston) based favourite Pudding & Pie is now here every other Thursday and Friday. Their pies are consistently excellent and the sweet potato and chilli tart I tried today is my new favourite! Way to go Stockport supporting local businesses making good quality non mass produced food and provided better options for hungry travellers!

A small station but useful for getting into central Manchester , as not everybody wants to go…read moreVictoria if something is on at the arena, so salford central is few minutes down the road form spinningfields and deansgate road. Its also cheaper than the tram to go to the outskirts of manchester! Be aware it can be a bit busy around 1630 -1800hrs

Me reviewing train stations is starting to become a trend, however now that I spend a heck of a lot…read moreof time in various stations, I feel they deserve credit/criticism like rest of the venues or businesses I visit. Salford central is now in a prime location, not because it moved but because the area around it has developed so much to give you amazing options whether you want to eat, drink or play. It's a matter of minutes on foot from Spinningfields and it's actually not even that far to walk to the Arndale from here! They've spent some money doing it up and parts of it look very nice however some parts still need a face lifts - the platforms being one! There also never seems to be anyone checking tickets when I walk through? Which my queue-skipping 14 year old self would've loved, however now being 24 I don't mind paying for my tickets!

I've been using Warrington Central much more over the past week or so and the station is improving,…read moreespecially in terms of cleanliness and service. While it is an old and basic station, it is pretty nice for an old town and it's pretty easy to get in and out of the station quickly to continue on with your journey. Minimal facilities inside the station but with Warrington's Golden Square Centre being a couple of minutes away, as well as an ASDA nearby that, is helpful. If you're heading into Manchester/Liverpool, there seem to be more services which go from here rather than Bank Quay, including the fastest train into Manchester which goes from here to Piccadilly with East Midlands Railway. 3* - Decent station for a small town, pretty minimal but improving so that's a good thing.

Warrington Central is one of two major stations in Warrington (the other being Bank Quay), and is…read moreserved by trains on 'southern route' from Liverpool to Manchester. The line was opened in 1873 by the Cheshire Lines Committee, a venture formed by the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway and the Great Northern railway, joined by the Midland Railway. The line originally ran from Manchester Central to Liverpool Central via Garston, although services were concentrated on Piccadilly and Lime St stations respectively from the late 1960s. The station has two platforms, built on a viaduct: the original main station building on the north side, in an Italianate style of yellow stock brick with red and blue brick details, has been converted into commercial offices, and a new smaller building built on Winwick Street. The station's modern entrance houses a ticket office, small shop and coffee stand, leading via stairs (or newly-installed lifts) to the two platforms. These retain the attractive original retaining walls and their canopies, with decorated brackets, although the original wooden awnings have unfortunately been replaced by ugly corrugated steel versions. The Manchester-bound platform (1) has toilets and a waiting room, whereas the Liverpool platform (2) has only a modern glass waiting room. The station is served by three rail companies: Northern operate a half hourly Liverpool (Lime St) to Manchester (Piccadilly) service, some of which stop at all stations, with others semi-fast. TransPennine Express operate an hourly fast service to Liverpool westbound and Leeds via Manchester eastbound, some of which continue to York, Scarborough or Middlesbrough. East Midlands trains operate an hourly Liverpool to Norwich via Nottingham and Sheffield service, taking over 5 hours to Norwich! There is level access throughout, and Warrington's Bus Station (known as the 'Interchange') is a short walk away under the railway bridge.

Travel to and from Manchester is a breeze through Victoria Station. It's modern, clean, and easy to…read morenavigate. Clearly marked signage makes for quick navigation to the correct platforms. If assistance is needed, staff are friendly. I like that there are multiple transportation services offered like TPExpress (the TPExpress app is pretty good too) for journeys to York or Leeds.

Love the new look Victoria Station Manchester. Very Spacious and well light..As a women i will…read morefeel a lot safer if I was travelling alone at night, before the renovation it was dark and cold looking. Also love the little java bar where you can relax with a drink ( lovely Procecco ) whilst waiting for your train.

Pretty large train station that we arrive to Manchester. It was convenient to our hotel so we were…read moreable to walk, which was a positive plenty of food options and small shopping inside just up the road are more food options. The terminal is relatively easy to navigate once you get your bearings.

The annoying thing about this station was that I rushed to get the train because it was supposed to…read morebe leaving in a minute but then ended up being delayed for fifteen, which if I knew I would have got out and had a look around the station for a bit. Anyway, this station is on the route through to Liverpool and it seems that some of the Liverpool trains, like the one that I was on, terminate here. It's rather fancy mind you, but then again a lot of stations in England are like that.

One of two railway stations in Warrington - Warrington Bank Quay is managed by Avanti West Coast…read more(Formerly Virgin Trains) providing connections into London, it is also used by other operators including Transport For Wales and Northern. There seem to offer more long-distance trains than Warrington Central into Scotland and London, with other services going into Liverpool, Manchester, Chester, Leeds and Wales. It is in a sketchy part of town, so I wouldn't want to walk into the town centre in the dark, luckily you can get frequent buses outside the station which goes into the bus station, it only takes a couple of minutes but obviously, if you are able to travel into Warrington Central you wouldn't need to do that as it is across the way from the bus station, right in the town centre. There aren't many facilities at the station either - the platforms are sheltered but don't expect to stay warm and dry if you're waiting at the station, there isn't a great deal of shops/cafes nearby other than one independent, small newsagents I saw. Expect long waits for tickets too due to an understaffed ticket counter and very few ticket machines. I didn't notice any ticket barriers either, which for an Avanti station seemed strange. The station is clean, it looks better than Warrington Central and has some good services, but being slightly out of the way, I do prefer travelling into Warrington Central but Warrington Bank Quay isn't a bad alternative, especially if one wants to get into Manchester Victoria, rather than Piccadilly. 3*

This station drives me mad. A virgin trains hub that only has a tiny caféxpresshop. The only…read morehighlight is that the waiting room is really warm. But that is bad in the summer when it is unbearable.

Wigan Wallgate is in a good location within the town centre, one of two train station in Wigan,…read morealongside the larger Wigan North Western. The location is good, just a couple minutes away from the town's main shops. All services are run by Northern Trains who operate the station, mainly serving "local" destinations including Manchester, Bolton, Blackburn and Southport. The station facilities are minimal but it does have a waiting area, where you can keep warm ahead of getting a train. The station is clean in most areas. The staff were OK. Step-free station so they do have lift access etc, I like the station from the outside as it looks pretty unique and different as you can see from photos. 3*

Very little to be said other than that it is a typical train station. Seemed quite clean but…read morecertainly in need of modernising. As it is only a small station there is little confusion when it comes to platforms and the staff as with other stations are quite helpful

An upgraded rating for Deansgate Station, as while it can't compare to Piccadilly, it is one of my…read morefavourite "smaller stations", the station staff seem friendly and they also have an Amazon locker inside the station which is handy whether you plan to pick up a parcel while travelling, and it is also useful if you're staying at the Hilton across the road and want to pick-up a parcel. With it being connected to the Metrolink, this not only means you can continue your journey but it also adds back-up for if either lift isn't working, meaning if you struggle with steps, there's always a back-up way out, just cross the Metrolink bridge, go down the lift, and follow the station around to the exit. Certainly not a bad little station, it might have fewer facilities compared to Manchester's other stations, but there's just something about Deansgate Station which I like. 4*

Deansgate Station deserves a mention because so many other stations that are complete rubbish have…read morebeen reviewed such as Mauldeth Road and Victoria. Whilst these stations are just boring old train stations, Deansgate Station is a piece of architecture worthy of a viewing along with the Castlefield/Deansgate canal routes and the old ruins nearby. A real piece of Manchester's historical character. As the other review is not about the station at all but about Deansgate the road and area, here's a bit about the station. It was opened as Knott Mill on 20 July 1849 and you can still see the old Knott Mill sign just above the new Deansgate one. The sign isn't as old as all that, because it was a wooden station back then. It was rebuilt to what it is today in the 1890s. It was later called Knott Mill & Deansgate, but now it is sadly plain old Deansgate. In 2006 its annual passenger total was only about thirteen thousand, but now it is well clear of a hundred and twenty thousand. This could be because its so good that its popular, or because the world is suffering from overpopulation, which will eventually kill us all