Leigh, station again?

[Trevor]

Please be gentle as this is my first post. I live in Leigh which is between, Wigan, Warrington, Bolton and Manchester. It is often quoted in our town, that Leigh is the largest town in England without it's own station. I don't know how true that is,maybe someone out there knows? One and a half miles south of the town runs the Manchester to Liverpool line, without any station that people can access, as it runs close to Leigh. Three miles north of the town, runs the Wigan to Manchester, with a station at Atherton, where the old Leigh branch line used to come from. People in the town have longed for years to get it's own station back. All we have been offered is a mis-guided busway, when a rail link either fom the north or south is needed.

If members of the forum could be so kind as to take two minutes to sign the petition at Number 10 for acess to the rail network it would be most appreciated.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/LeighStation/AqF4BwBCrYKQALaYFdApePF

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, I've signed. I visit Leigh regularly and quite apart from anything the rip-off bus fare from Atherton to Leigh (which is actually more than the train fare from Victoria to Atherton ) gets on my nerves.

I'm interested to know more about the plans. Would the line be built as a link between Atherton and Kenyon Junction, as it could provide a diversionary link between the two existing routes. Also, I notice that the Atherton route into Victoria can get very overcrowded in peak hours, so a regular service all the way through Atherton to Manchester could relieve this congestion.

Best of luck anyway - I don't see why the Scots should get all the re-openings.

 

[Trevor]

Idealy people in the area would like to see the branch line put back from the Atherton Manchester line, as the track bed is still there. In the current finacial climate a station at Kenyon which is a few hundred yards from where the Leigh by pass meets the East Lancs road is more realistic. It would only be a mile from the new Leigh Sports Village. The only cost would be a station, car park and a short road down from the by pass/East Lancs.

 

[yorksrob]

Oh, I see, so it would be like a parkway on the existing line. Still a good idea, particularly as it would have trains on Sunday.

 

[Toots]

Idealy people in the area would like to see the branch line put back from the Atherton Manchester line, as the track bed is still there. In the current finacial climate a station at Kenyon which is a few hundred yards from where the Leigh by pass meets the East Lancs road is more realistic. It would only be a mile from the new Leigh Sports Village. The only cost would be a station, car park and a short road down from the by pass/East Lancs.

I have to agree,the site of Kenyon Junction is still there and is really the only practicable path for Leigh to reopen.However this route would mean omitting Tyldesley and the ever growing suburb of Ellenbrook. The problem is,the 'horseshoe is now blocked at Monton, which of course would have made a much stronger economic case if routed that way.

 

[yorksrob]

Yes, there's no doubt in my mind the original line through Tydesley would be a thriving commuter route by now had it survived. One of many might have beens.

 

[Nym]

As a silly sudgestion, perhaps it could be extended through Atherton on the old trackbed up to cherquent, then with a small amount of new track up to Lostock Jcn, or near Beaumont Road to terminate on a northbound platform in Bolton (for arguments sake platform 6.

I do get the feeling that for how busy the 582 and 592 Bolton - Leigh buses are that the route would make at least a bit of money, possibly run as Warrington - Bolton via Newton and Earlstown?

 

[thefab444]

It is often quoted in our town, that Leigh is the largest town in England without it's own station. I don't know how true that is,maybe someone out there knows?

I suspect it is Dudley. Or Gosport if you don't count Dudley.

 

[Trevor]

The business community of Leigh, have had Stobbarts Rail produce full costings for a rail link to the town. They can be seen on the Transport for Leigh website, which has plans showing where the new route would be. A rail link turns out to be cheaper than a planed guided busway! Please see;
http://www.transportforleigh.org.uk
The Greater Manchester Transport Authority are holding a public consultation on transport around Greater Manchester which closes on December 24th. If any forum members live in the North West and wish to send an email to them to lend support to the move to bring rail access back to our town it would be greatly appeciated. Supporting emails can be sent to
[email protected]
All support over the next week will be vital

 

[WatcherZero]

The campaign has fiddled the figures a bit, by their own admission theyve ommitted a £10m bridge Stobart says is needed to pass under the East Lancs from the costings because they think it could use two existing pedestrian underpasses which from the photos are obviously too small.

 

[PaulLothian]

I know the area quite well, having family who live in Leigh. A branch only to the south of Pennington seems an expensive and unrealistic option: basically it would be in any case a park and ride operation for many potential train passengers. I feel it would be better therefore to look at a parkway station on the main line. A station south of the East Lancs Road with an access at the junction between that road and the A579 could use the remainder of the trackbed to the former rail junction for roads and parking. It would also have access by local roads for the villages round about.

Not to say I'm not in sympathy with the plans, just being realistic in present financial climate!

 

[Trevor]

Bringing the Railway up to St Helens Road has the double advantage of being on a busy main road, which has frequent bus services, only five minutes to the town centre. Also it is within 5 minutes walking distance of the new Leigh Sports Village, which has the Rugby Stadium, so visiting fans could use the rail to get to matches and other events. The people of Stobarts looked at the existing underpasses and said they could be used, I don't know if widening was involved. The £10 million would be needed if the most direct route was selected instead.
I previously supported the simpler idea of a station on the main line with a park and ride, however this scheme is superior by being accessable for those without cars. The money shouldn't be an issue as £20 million more is still ear marked for the busway under GMPTE's plans, so the current financial could work in the rail options favour.

 

[lancastrian]

Well many interstong suggestions, but there are only two realistic options to restore the Railway to Leigh (yet another daft closure decision brought about by the supposed need to build a motorway, M602, all to save the cost of a bridge near Eccles).

The simplest and cheapest, would be to reopen Kenyon Junction stataion as Leigh Parkway, the location is very clear of clutter, plus come 2015 it will be on an electrified line to both Manchester & Liverpool. The old siding space is large enough for a decent car park, all it needs to make it easy to get to Leigh, is for the Atherleigh Way extension, the Lowton St. Mary's bypas is extended along the remaining old track bed from where it meets the East Lancs Road, to where it meets the B5207 Wilton Lane, with an access to the new Car Park just before it crosses the railway line at Broseley Bridge.

The second and dearer option is to build a new link from the Atherton line, from just west of Walden Station, just after is crosses Newearth Road, it would then run paralel to that road until it meets the old Eccles to Wigan trackbed at Ellenbrook, (this is an old collery railway trackbed that could be reused) a station could be put in here at Ellenbrook. It would then follow the old trackbed to Tyldesley, with new station for Mosley coomon as it goes under Mosley Common Road, and to a new, reopened station at Tyldesley, it would then follow the old Tyldesley to Leigh trackbed until it could possibly reach past Holden Road, almost to the old station site near East Bond Street. It is possible to have access from East Bond Street or from Platt Fold Street. There is an industrial estate on this site, so there is road access and a potential site for a car park, it is about 1 5 minute walk from Leigh Town Hall. It would cost more but would bring the railway right back into Leigh.

 

[185]

The busway they planned was a ridiculous waste of money. There were other voices at GMPTE showing opposition to it, I was there in 1997. A main point raised was the busway only duplicates the half of the East Lancs Road where buses run at speed. The other half is slow and takes ages with hundreds of lights, and queueing traffic.

The recent plans to have a just sole station at Pennington were seen as laughable - it is well over a mile and a half walk from the town, and it's not much further to walk to Atherton Station.

There were four alternatives mentioned:
___________________________

1. "Atherleigh Way Route". Reopen the heavy rail spur off the Chat Moss Line to a Parkway Station at East Lancs Road. There would also be a town station in the centre. The end of the Atherleigh Way road junction would need to be moved so the track can reaccess the old rail tunnel. The track would follow the Atherleigh way, which was built on the old trackbed. Some houses in central Leigh would have to go. About ten were built on the old trackbed in the 1990s. The industrial estate would be realigned. The line would cross the canal and terminate opposite the bus station by the Jenny Pub.

2. "Busway Route-Heavy Rail 1". A heavy spur off the Atherton line west of Walkden by Little Hulton sewage works, and a brand new 900metre line across mainly flat land. This would then access the line they proposed for the busway close to Mosley Common. The line would then follow it until Leigh Town Centre, with a fairly central station in the middle. A parkway station could be built at Mosley Common which would take traffic off the East Lancs Road, with a new feeder road up to the station from Mosley Common Road.

3. "An extension of Metrolink". 0.2km through Eccles via the town centre, over a new bridge over the M62 and then 1km along Monton Road to the start of the disused railway line through Broadoak Park. This would skirt under the East Lancs Road and join the 'busway' disused line straight to Leigh.

4. "Busway Route-Heavy Rail 2". As the Metrolink route but at the end, reduce the embankment into a new 640 metre tunnel under housing and curve it under the M602 to join the Chat Moss Line halfway between Eccles and Patricroft.
_________________________________________________

Option 1 was seen as prohibitively expensive, not because of the East Lancs Road tunnel reopening & junction move but for the demolition of ten houses.

Option 2 was seen as mildly expensive with a 900m brand new trackbed being prepared (on mostly flat land).

Option 3 was seen good until arrival in Eccles, where journeys become much slower. With the advent of TramTrains there was some talk of this joining the Chat Moss line at Eccles Railway Station. There was talk of further expansion of Metrolink which could have found another direct route into the city.

Option 4 was noted as being expensive with a 640m tunnel, but the best designed & engineered solution.

_____________________________

I just wish GMPTE would offer everyone a vote on the options and then get behind a plan.

 

[Multiple Unit]

Leigh is a nice Town and yes it should have a rail line put back in so Should other pLaces such as Golbourne and latt Briddge (Wigan) the WCML runs throgh Golebourne and Spring Veiw (Wigan so why can't they build a Stion in Both theese Places also the WCML Runs through Bryn Gates (Wugan) pleanty of places to Build a Station I think Golebourne Station Building still exists.

I think in this day and age it would be more possible to have a Light Rail system in places such as Leigh but I think GMPTE are more Intrested in Buses than any Kind of Rail System butyet I would have thoght Newton Le Willows would be your nearest Station than Atherton.

 

[WatcherZero]

Leigh is a nice town and yes it should have a rail line put back in so should other places such as Golborne and Platt Bridge (Wigan) the WCML runs through Golborne and Spring View (Wigan so why can't they build a station in both these places also the WCML runs through Bryn Gates (Wigan) plenty of places to build a station I think Golborne station building still exists.

I think in this day and age it would be more possible to have a Light Rail system in places such as Leigh but I think GMPTE are more interested in buses than any kind of rail system but yet I would have thought Newton Le Willows would be your nearest station than Atherton.

Adjusted to be readable.

 

[LinkforLeigh]

Dear all,

Could I direct you to the website www.transportforleigh.org.uk

This refers to the efforts of a local businessman who is making every effort to get a railway link for Leigh.

It makes very interesting reading and the effort needs as much support as can be drummed up.

If you do read please pass onto as many people as you can.

Thanks...

 

[185]

As much as a lot of effort has gone into the project, I think it's too far from town to be successful. They may aswell just build a station 300m south of the Atherleigh Way. A more successful scheme would make use of the 'busway route' disused line into north of the town.

 

[Nym]

IMO, easy soloution, and one that will be able to have the capacity to run...

Leigh - Tyldsley - (Come off the old trackbed for a mile or so) - Walkden - Salford Cres - Salford Cen. - Man Vic

Hourly direct into Victoria, possibly extended through to terminate at Ashburys or Stalybridge (Re-open the line to passengers via sportcity and put two more platforms at ashburys to terminate trains at, (A lot of pepole might not use it, but it saves sitting around at vic)

Service Pattern:

Either:
Leigh - Tyldsley - Walkden - All Stations to Victoria - Ashburys 2tph

or:
Leigh - Tyldsley - Walkden 1tph (Timed to connect with trains off Atherton)
and as above 1tph

I'd also safeguard the trackbed up to Wigan S Jcns. so you could have it as an express route through st helens to Liverpool again...

 

[lancastrian]

Dear all,

Could I direct you to the website www.transportforleigh.org.uk

This refers to the efforts of a local businessman who is making every effort to get a railway link for Leigh.

It makes very interesting reading and the effort needs as much support as can be drummed up.

If you do read please pass onto as many people as you can.

Thanks...

Well I looked at this document and it was interesting. However what I cannot understand is the route to the Liverpool & Manchester line. The curves to get the route on to the old Great Central line just north of the East Lancs Road and the trianglular juntion with the Liverpool & Manchester, are the sort of sharpness I would expect from a light rail route, not for a heavey rail route. It also seems to travel at least 2 - 3 times the distance of the direct route to Kenyon Junction. If this route is used, it makes more sense to rebuild to Kenyon Juncion Station, with a seperate platform for the leigh route, so that trains to Manchester can easily reverse or continue to Liverpool.

However if the Leigh Station is to be on the Pennington Station site, it will be to far from the centre of Leigh and of no value to those who live to the north of Leigh. This is a reasonable idea, but it would be much easier to extrend the Atherleigh Way through to Kenyon Junction on the far side of the East Lancs Road. Not only would it be cheaper, there is ample space in the old sorting sidings for a decent Car Park.

A branch from the ex L&Y Atherton line makes more sense and the new line can get nearer to the centre of Leigh, almost onto the old Station site.

Just my view.

 

[Tufty]

If the substancial investment needed to re connect Leigh is not forthcoming.
At the very least they should build a Park and Ride station at Kenyon Junction on the Chatmoss, with a frequant bus service to Leigh. This would also serve Croft, Lowton and Culcheth commuters to Liv and Man.

 

[Multiple Unit]

If the substancial investment needed to re connect Leigh is not forthcoming.
At the very least they should build a Park and Ride station at Kenyon Junction on the Chatmoss, with a frequant bus service to Leigh. This would also serve Croft, Lowton and Culcheth commuters to Liv and Man.

There is a draft unannuce dplan to have a Park and Ride at Newton Le Willows using the Mc Fall Salvage Scrap yard if the Railway get back this land.

 

[Tufty]

Probably unlikely that they will build on McFalls just yet. Merseyrail have purchased the old MTB garage adjacent to platform 2 at NLW. This is apparantly the location for NLW (Park & Ride). In the mornings the area is littered with cars parked up the A 49 and Southworth Rd, so this additional parking would be welcome.

There would appear to be plenty of room at the old Kenyon Jcn on the Moss for a huge car park and station. But if Leigh gets it's station back good luck to them I hope it all works out.