Wigan Central railway station was a railway station near the centre of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England.

GCR lines to St Helens and Wigan
Legend
Wigan Central Wigan Darlington Street Springs Branch Manchester–Southport line Ince Lower Ince Wigan avoiding line to Pemberton Hindley to Springs Branch Junction Manchester–Southport line Lancashire Union Railway Lancashire Union Railway "The Whelley Loop" Strangeways West Junction Hindley South Strangeways East Junction Platt Bridge Manchester and Wigan Railway St Helens Central (GCR) St Helens Central Liverpool–Wigan line Haydock Haydock Colliery Tunnel Bickershaw and Abram Ashton-in-Makerfield Haydock Park Park Lane Halt Golborne South West Coast Main Line Golborne North West Leigh and Bedford Liverpool, St Helens and South Lancashire Railway Wigan Junction Railways Lowton St Mary's Junction Lowton St Mary's Chat Moss line Kenyon Junction Culcheth Newchurch Halt Liverpool–Manchester lines Glazebrook

Wigan Darlington Street station was some way east of the two main stations (North Western and Wallgate), which are on the western edge of the town centre.

The station opened on 1 April 1884 as the temporary terminus of the Wigan Junction Railways (WJR) line from Glazebrook West Junction.^[1] The WJR was part of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway (later to become the Great Central). The permanent terminus – Wigan Central – was completed in 1892 a third of a mile nearer the town centre. When that station opened Darlington Street closed to passengers, and became a goods depot.^[2]

In April 1884 the service pattern was straightforward. Seven "Down" trains arrived from Manchester Central, one "express" called at Glazebrook only and three called at All Stations. The remaining three missed some stations between Manchester and Glazebrook. With the exception of the "express" all trains called at all stations between Glazebrook and Wigan. The "Up" service was similar.^[3]

The line closed to passengers on 2 November 1964 and closed to all traffic the following April.

• List of closed railway stations in Britain
• Wigan North Western railway station
• Wigan Wallgate railway station
• Liverpool, St Helens & South Lancashire Railway
• Old railway lines in Wigan

• Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
• Dow, George (1962). Great Central, Volume Two Dominion of Watkin 1864-1899. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-1469-5. OCLC 655324061.

• "The station on a 1948 OS Map". npe maps.
• "The line and mileages". Railway Codes.