Notes: Ashton in Makerfield station was situated on the St Helens Central to Lowton St Mary's branch which left the Glazebrook to Wigan Central line at Lowton St Marys. This line had been sanctioned as early as July 1885 and the original intention was to create a line that would link Wigan to Southport by creating a route from Lowton St Marys to Fazakerley Junction on the CLC North Liverpool Extension Line.

The railway company that was formed to build the line the St Helens and Wigan Junction Railway (became Liverpool St Helens and South Lancashire Railway on 26.7.1889) was in constant financial difficulty and despite the first sod being cut on 28.1.1888 it did not open to goods traffic until 1.7.1895 and then only to St Helens. It was to take another five years for the line to be brought up to passenger standards by which time any hope of continuing west had been abandoned.

The line remained a minor branch line that was of far more use for goods as it linked to a number of collieries in the Lancashire coalfield. Passenger services were always secondary. In 1906 the line became part of the GCR transferring to the LNER in 1923.

The station had two platforms situated in a cutting. At road level on the A49 there was a fairly substantial brick built building providing the usual station facilities. Ashton in Makersfield Station did not survive long into the period of nationalization closing on 1.3.1952. The station was used for race meetings in 1975 at nearby Haydock Park Racecourse.

This section of the line survived into the 1980's as in 1968 a connection was put into the West Coast Main Line to allow a goods service to operate to an oil storage facility at Haydock. Today the station site has been landscaped as part of a business park.

Click on the station name for other stations on the St. Helens Central - Lowton St. Mary's Line. St. Helens Central, Haydock, Haydock Park Racecourse, Golborne North & Lowton St. Mary's