Skelmersdale branch
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The Skelmersdale branch was a standard gauge railway (SKE
History
Opened on 1 March 1858, passenger services ended 5 November 1956, with goods trains to Rainford ceasing on 16 November 1961 and to Skelmersdale on 4 November 1963. Since then Skelmersdale has had no rail connection but has grown considerably.
Re-opening proposals
Proposals have been put forward for the reopening of a section of line, reconnecting trains for Skelmersdale into
In December 2012, Merseytravel commissioned Network Rail to study route options and costs of connecting to Skelmersdale with Merseytravel contributing £50,000 and West Lancashire Council contributing £100,000.[8] The range of options considered including a simple park and ride on the existing Northern Line Kirkby branch, an extension of the Northern Line Kirkby branch to a new terminus in Skelmersdale and finally a connection from the Northern Line Ormskirk branch, possibly extended to create a loop via Skelmersdale between Kirkby and Ormskirk. Merseytravel were represented on a board led by Lancashire County Council who developed a flowchart detailing how the scheme may be delivered.[9] In 2014, the reopening of a section of the Skelmersdale Branch from Upholland to Skelmersdale town centre was proposed.[10] The line was completely closed in 1963. This would give Skelmersdale, the second largest town in North West England without a railway service, direct access to Liverpool city centre. Network Rail recommended a further feasibility study be carried out.[11][12]
In February 2017 Lancashire County Council confirmed that the preferred site for
The government in April 2020 gave assurances that the Skelemersdale link would be constructed.[17] Lancashire County Council submitted their Strategic Outline Business Case to the DfT in September 2021. This forwards two rail options. The favoured is a heavy rail link into the town centre. The submission mentions the use of battery electric Class 777 trains.[18][19][20]
This line has been identified by Campaign for Better Transport as a priority 1 candidate for reopening.[21]
Plans for reopening were dealt a serious blow when the Department for Transport announced in July 2022 that it was rejecting the Strategic Outline Business Case.[22] The DfT instead suggested that better bus links with the Kirkby–Wigan rail line would be a cheaper way of improving connectivity for Skelmersdale.
Route
- Ormskirk railway station
- Westhead Halt railway station[23]
- Skelmersdale railway station
- White Moss Level Crossing Halt[24]
- Hey's Crossing Halt railway station[25]
- Rainford Junction railway station
References
- ^ Engineers' Line Reference & mileages via railwaycodes
- ^ Local History Archives
- ^ Pixton 1996, p. 91
- ^ Potential Rail Improvements in North Western England Archived 2007-03-11 at the Wayback Machine - Evidence presented to the Transport Select Committee, 2002-03
- ^ "£40m rail link plans are backed". Liverpool Echo. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
- ^ "England - Operators call for new rail lines". BBC News. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 15 June 2009.
- Association of Train Operating Companies. June 2009. p. 20. Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "Skelmersdale Rail Link" (PDF). Merseytravel. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Agenda item - Rail Schemes Development and Delivery". Merseytravel. 3 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ Shennan, Paddy (28 August 2014). "Merseytravel plan to open or reopen host of new stations". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ Merseyside Route Utilisation Strategy Archived 7 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Network Rail.
- ^ "The Railway". Skemheritage.org.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
- ^ Preferred Site Identified for Skelmersdale Railway Station Lancashire County Council
- ^ Preferred site identified for Skelmersdale railway station Southport Visiter
- ^ Houghton, Alistair (18 September 2017). "Skelmersdale rail link moves step closer as £5m funding revealed". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Long Term Rail Strategy – update" (PDF). Liverpool City Region Combined Authority. 24 October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017.
- ^ Lopez, Jamie (10 April 2020). "Government boost to reopen Skelmersdale rail link". LancsLive.
- ^ "Skelmersdale new rail link".
- ^ MacDonald, Mott (August 2021). "Skelmersdale Rail Link Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) | Executive Summary Document" (PDF). Lancashire County Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 December 2021.
- ^ MacDonald, Mott (August 2021). "Skelmersdale Rail Link Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) | Summary Document" (PDF). Lancashire County Council. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 December 2021.
- ^ "The case for expanding the rail network" (PDF). Campaign for Better Transport (United Kingdom). January 2019.
- ^ Lopez, Jamie (8 July 2022). "Skelmersdale rail station plan rejected in decision branded a 'cruel joke'". LancsLive. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Westhead halt on Disused Stations
- ^ White Moss Level Crossing on Disused Stations
- ^ Hey Crossing on Disused Stations
Sources
- Pixton, Bob (1996), The Archive Photographs Series Widnes and St Helens Railways, The Chalford Publishing Company, ISBN 0-7524-0751-1