The station was opened in 1887, as part of the Liverpool Southport and Preston junction railway. However this was integrated in to the Lancashire and Yorkshire railway in 1897 due to financial difficulties.
The line here was an early adopter of electrification in 1909, and in 1911 more train services were introduced when the Pool Hey Junction was opened, allowing services from Wigan to Southport.
Although no goods facilities were here, freight passed through the station until 1952.
Station buildings were in the form of a large timber building, situated on the island platform, which had canopies on either side. It was a large structure, being as it would be expected to serve a large number of passengers from the Southport suburbs. It contained not only a booking hall, but toilet facilities and a waiting room.
The line to Preston was earmarked for closure by the Beeching report of 1963, and so by 1964 that particular line closed. This lead to reduced services, and was the first decision that led to the decline of the station during the next thirty years.
The station building was demolished in the year 2000, being replaced with simple shelters. However, the reintroduction of a Sunday timetable in 2009, gave the station a much needed upturn in passenger numbers. A ‘friends of Meols Cop station’ group formed in 2010, and led to the station gaining floral displays, and the general upkeep of the station has continued ever since.
Below are images taken in 2022 of the station notice board :
Meols cop is an interesting station. Certainly it is well looked after by the station group, and new shelters and information boards show that it has not been a forgotten station. The lack of lift however restricts its use, and so will never be busy. The curve makes it interesting for photography, however the lack of services make interest low for the enthusiast.
The video below was filmed in 2022 :
Rainham Rail Enthusiast 