Proposals to bring the railway to Skelmersdale are gaining momentum as the preferred location for the new rail station has been confirmed as the former Glenburn Sports College and Former West Lancashire College sites on Yewdale in the centre of Skelmersdale.
The new rail link would put Skelmersdale on the rail map and offer travellers direct connections to Manchester City Centre, Liverpool City Centre, Wigan and Kirkby, as well enabling connections to the national rail network and even HS2 services in the future.
The project is expected to cost in the region of £300 million and it is hoped the new services would be operational within 10 years, subject to a strong business case and funding being identified and secured.
The next step in building the case for the project is to undertake a £5.1m GRIP3A study which will identify in more detail the proposed route and the technical solutions to delivering it. Lancashire County Council and Merseytravel have committed over £4.3m and £0.76m respectively to the delivery of this stage of the project.
“Skelmersdale sits on major economic assets in Lancashire including an abundance of planned and existing strategic warehousing together with a skilled and flexible workforce. The proximity of the Liverpool Superport presents a great opportunity to derive maximum economic benefit from these assets, hence the importance of a new rail link between Skelmersdale and Liverpool to improve connectivity.”
Graham Cowley, Skelmersdale Placeboard
Delivery of a rail station for Skelmersdale is a central component of the West Lancashire Highways & Transport Masterplan, which also proposes a wholesale reconfiguration of Skelmersdale’s transport network to allow buses, cycleways and footpaths to connect with the new rail station and so ensure all parts of Skelmersdale can access the rail network.
The new rail link and station will also bring a new dimension to Skelmersdale Town Centre and add to the development proposals already planned in the Town Centre, opening up the southern part of the town centre for new development opportunities, while enabling people from outside Skelmersdale to access facilities such as West Lancashire College and the proposed new leisure, health, entertainment and retail developments.