Proposed Golborne Railway Station

[childwallblues]

It is proposed to build a railway station at Golborne which is between Warrington Bank Quay and Wigan North Western and funding of £15 million has been allocated by the government. Source: Lowtonandgolbourne news.

 

[Pinus contorta]

When the Bus Service Improvement Grants were announced recently, I had a read of what Andy Burnham had to say about the funding. I think there was something about it in there, and the other TFGM priorities.

 

[8A Rail]

Where it going to be actually located? Assume the station being proposed near to Lowton Junction connecting with trains from Manchester and may be Liverpool too? There was a station there until 1949 I think.

 

[AMD]

No, definately on the WCML. I heard that some consultant came up with a proposal to stick the platforms on the fast lines which has been fed back as the preference is on the slow lines.

 

[8A Rail]

No, definately on the WCML. I heard that some consultant came up with a proposal to stick the platforms on the fast lines which has been fed back as the preference is on the slow lines.

Having checked the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Atlas by Joe Brown, the proposed new station seems to be the old Golborne South Station which closed in 1961 and was on the slow lines.

 

[Class 170101]

That route doesn't have any hourly stopping service all day yet so I can't see the station working out.

 

[Some guy]

Who would serve them though as only Avanti serve going the Warrington way and northern only run services to barrow and Windermere from there which will eventually be rerouted via Bolton. Unless northern started doing a bank quay service from Wigan

 

[geoffk]

The obvious question is - what trains are going to stop there? Manchester - Barrow/Windermere is the obvious candidate but it's due to be rerouted via Bolton in ? December and a completely new service seems unlikely in the current climate. (I see others have just made similar comments)

 

[Pinus contorta]

The obvious question is - what trains are going to stop there? Manchester - Barrow/Windermere is the obvious candidate but it's due to be rerouted via Bolton in ? December and a completely new service seems unlikely in the current climate. (I see others have just made similar comments)

There has been the occasional Preston/Wigan to Liverpool train in the not too distant past, which have been diverted off the St Helens Central route. Going via Earlestown. I'm pretty sure there was an early morning train doing this. I suppose that is one way of linking Golborne up to Wigan and Liverpool.

On the other hand, if TFGM are funding a new station, then that would suggest a Wigan- Golborne- Manchester route as suggested by others.

 

[TC7]

Isn't there a proposal a to run peak time services from Manchester Victoria - Eccles - Wigan, in place of stopping the Leeds-Chester at Eccles at peak times from December? That could in theory stop at Golborne, if they made that service hourly then you could have a viable service pattern

 

[childwallblues]

There has been the occasional Preston/Wigan to Liverpool train in the not too distant past, which have been diverted off the St Helens Central route. Going via Earlestown. I'm pretty sure there was an early morning train doing this. I suppose that is one way of linking Golborne up to Wigan and Liverpool.

On the other hand, if TFGM are funding a new station, then that would suggest a Wigan- Golborne- Manchester route as suggested by others.

Currently there is a 0703 Wigan North Western to Liverpool Lime Street which runs via Newton-Le-Willows rather than the normal St Helens Central route. The unit runs ecs from Blackpool and is booked for 319 haulage.

 

[seagull]

Incidentally, a long discussion (a now-locked thread) about this proposed station can be found here:

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/golborne-station-if-it-opens-how-might-it-be-served.213933/

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Some of the TPE Liverpool-Glasgow services do (or did) run via Golborne, to the great annoyance of St Helens Central passengers.
The best new connectivity would be with a Crewe-Preston semi-fast, as once intended by the LM franchise (from Birmingham).
We would be back to the debate about semi-fasts taking stops off the long-distance trains, enabling them to be accelerated.
That debate will need to be had before HS2 opens, when you'd expect classic services to be reconfigured.

Sounds a bit like the Reston situation in Scotland - the locals have willed a station, but the railway doesn't really want to serve it.
A more local situation is Warrington West, where the last thing the railway wanted was another stop on an already congested diesel line with awkward turnrounds.
A station at Golborne would probably prompt a demand for one at Coppull, too.

 

[Greybeard33]

Isn't there a proposal a to run peak time services from Manchester Victoria - Eccles - Wigan, in place of stopping the Leeds-Chester at Eccles at peak times from December? That could in theory stop at Golborne, if they made that service hourly then you could have a viable service pattern

Northern's draft December timetable has services from Wigan to Victoria via Eccles at 0635, 0738 and 0837, SX, and return services from Victoria at 1613, 1713 and 1813. Not sure about the business case for a new station served by only 6 trains per day, M-F only? However, it would be useful to GM Mayor Burnham, who lives near Golborne.

 

[8A Rail]

The issue with any station in that area is Golborne Junction itself as the WCML goes from four lines to two lines as well as access to the L&M line (by crossing Up and Down WC fast lines) so have more trains at that location may create more operational issues and consequently may be less paths on the WCML especially between Golborne and Winwick Junctions. I am not sure that Avanti and some FOC's will be happy with that. May be proposed money better spent elsewhere in Greater Manchester??

 

[SJL2020]

May be proposed money better spent elsewhere in Greater Manchester??

Luckily, GM Mayor Andy Burnham lives in Golborne so is excellently placed to judge.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Luckily, GM Mayor Andy Burnham lives in Golborne so is excellently placed to judge.

He will be well placed to know that it needs some economic stimulation/ levelling up (or what ever its called at the moment). Can't see this one being canned tbh.

 

[D6975]

Luckily, GM Mayor Andy Burnham lives in Golborne so is excellently placed to judge.

I wonder if he would ever use it? Apart from the photo opportunity on the opening day of course.

 

[The Planner]

When is he up for re-election? 2025? You might have got a spade in the ground by then.

 

[S&CLER]

Some of the TPE Liverpool-Glasgow services do (or did) run via Golborne, to the great annoyance of St Helens Central passengers.
The best new connectivity would be with a Crewe-Preston semi-fast, as once intended by the LM franchise (from Birmingham).
We would be back to the debate about semi-fasts taking stops off the long-distance trains, enabling them to be accelerated.
That debate will need to be had before HS2 opens, when you'd expect classic services to be reconfigured.

Sounds a bit like the Reston situation in Scotland - the locals have willed a station, but the railway doesn't really want to serve it.
A more local situation is Warrington West, where the last thing the railway wanted was another stop on an already congested diesel line with awkward turnrounds.
A station at Golborne would probably prompt a demand for one at Coppull, too.

Coppull is a more realistic proposition, I think, but only if 4 tracks are reinstated between Standish and Euxton, which might well be part of whatever ultimately happens with the HS2 link being moved to north of Wigan. And there is an existing service that could use it, i.e. Liverpool-Preston-Blackpool.

 

[lancastrian]

A station at Golborne would probably prompt a demand for one at Coppull, too.

Now that would be an excellent idea. The site of the old station is still available, it is right in the centre of Coppull. There has been much new housing built in the village since the old station was closed. Plus it could be easily served by the Liverpool to Preston services. The major cost would be the reinstating of the third & fourth track for about 3 miles from Balshaw Lane Junction to just past Coppull station. This would improve capacity along this route when finally the HST is open for trains to Scotland. Even better would to extend it all the way to Standish junction, where the Whelley Line diverged around Wigan.

 

[Pinus contorta]

Now that would be an excellent idea. The site of the old station is still available, it is right in the centre of Coppull. There has been much new housing built in the village since the old station was closed. Plus it could be easily served by the Liverpool to Preston services. The major cost would be the reinstating of the third & fourth track for about 3 miles from Balshaw Lane Junction to just past Coppull station. This would improve capacity along this route when finally the HST is open for trains to Scotland. Even better would to extend it all the way to Standish junction, where the Whelley Line diverged around Wigan.

Most of that section that you suggest reinstating is headspans if I remember correctly. I guess they won't have to go around faffing with too much piling, if it is reinstated. I can't remember anything other than twin track ( in my lifetime) on that section.

 

[WatcherZero]

As I understand it yes initial service is proposed to be morning and peak only but it does have a positive business case, more regular services could be added in future with released network capacity. The new rail stations on the agenda are: Leigh, Lostock Parkway, Little Hulton, Golborne, Slattocks, Dewsnap, Gamesley, Stanley Green and Cheadle.

 

[childwallblues]

As I understand it yes initial service is proposed to be morning and peak only but it does have a positive business case, more regular services could be added in future with released network capacity. The new rail stations on the agenda are: Leigh, Lostock Parkway, Little Hulton, Golborne, Slattocks, Dewsnap, Gamesley, Stanley Green and Cheadle.

Would be interesting to see how they get to Leigh but then that is money bags Burnham territory.
Would Leigh be a renamed Kenyon Junction?

 

[L+Y]

Most of that section that you suggest reinstating is headspans if I remember correctly. I guess they won't have to go around faffing with too much piling, if it is reinstated. I can't remember anything other than twin track ( in my lifetime) on that section.

Yes- a little off topic, but four track headspans exist on that section because the slow lines weren't immediately lifted after electrification, though I think they did close to regular traffic. At least one of the slows stayed down until 1976/77.

 

[0161]

It's literally on Burnham's back yard, so if he can't get this off the ground, what can he?

 

[Djgr]

According to Google Maps this proposed new station is 4 minutes in the car from Newton-le-Willows station.

It is hard to believe that there is not a better use of public money for the railway.

 

[Pinus contorta]

According to Google Maps this proposed new station is 4 minutes in the car from Newton-le-Willows station.

It is hard to believe that there is not a better use of public money for the railway.

This may be true but you probably have to park the car back in Golborne due to the volume of cars in the Newton le Willows area.

 

[Class 170101]

Problem is how do you create a service from Newton Le Willows to Preston bia Golborne? At the moment at least there are no regular services on this route. As where as there is a regular route from Manchester to Wigan NW (and onwards to Windermere / Barrow) on this axis provided by Northern.

 

[terryc]

At a local public meeting in Golborne just prior to lockdown, Andy Burnham stated that the station at Golborne would definitely be going ahead. Adding a stop for the Man Airport to Cumbria TPE was the service mooted. (I would have thought however that TPE wouldn't be too happy slowing that service...?) IIRC, Merseyrail was also mentioned as being interested in providing a service.
For me, a (Northern) stopping service from Warrington (or Crewe if paths available by sending some WCML freight via Middlewich?) to Preston / Blackpool via Earlestown and NLW would be useful. Newton-le-Willows then providing an interchange for the Chat Moss Liverpool / Manchester services.

As an aside, the car parking was mentioned earlier in the thread. At the moment numerous commuters meet and park up at Golborne, and then car-share onto NLW