Hopes raised for local railway station's reinstatement after a 65-year gap

Rosie Cooper and Grant ShappsRosie Cooper and Grant Shapps
Rosie Cooper and Grant Shapps
Evidence as to why Skelmersdale should have a railway station again for the first time in 65 years has been presented to the Government.

Lancashire County Council on Thursday submitted a strategic outline business case to the Department of Transport after years of rising and dashed hopes.

West Lancs MP Rosie Cooper saw completion and submission of the case as a major milestone in the campaign and has invitied Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to Skelmersdale to see the town and how it would benefit from its first rail halt since 1956 when the last one closed.

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The SOBC sets out detailed proposals for a new station, which will now be subject to scrutiny and approval by the Government.

Ms Cooper said: “This is an enormous step in the fight for Skelmersdale Railway!

“Every resident of Skelmersdale knows how utterly revolutionary this will be for the town. It is absurd that with a population of close to 40,000, Skelmersdale doesn’t have a train station of its own.

“The Government are already aware of Skelmersdale’s need for a train station; the Prime Minister even named Skelmersdale as one of the Towns that should benefit from the Beeching reversal fund!

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“I will be doing everything I can, in Parliament and locally, to ensure we receive the funding and DfT approval for this project. To start, I have invited the Transport Secretary to join me on a walk around Skelmersdale, so that he can truly appreciate how beneficial this project will be to the area.

“Residents of Skelmersdale understandably feel like they live on an isolated and forgotten island. Connecting it to the rail network will be an economic explosion, opening up a wealth of social and professional possibilities.

“For far too long, Skelmersdale has been overlooked, if the Government are really committed to their ’levelling up’ agenda, they will acknowledge this fact and approve this proposal without hesitation!”

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