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Work gets underway on new
station at Maghull North
WORK has begun this week on the
construction of a new Railway Station, at Maghull North, which will give
increased travelling options to rail users in the area. The new Maghull North
station will be located just off School Lane adjacent to the former Ashworth
Hospital site, between the existing Maghull and Town Green Station, that is
located on the Ormskirk branch of Merseyrail's Northern Line. The Station
is a key piece of infrastructure in the Sefton Local Plan, supporting demand
from an adjacent new housing development which will include 370 homes, with more
homes planned for the area in the near future. It will also offer relief for the
existing Station, within the Town.
Facilities at the new station will include:-
► Staffed station building and ticket office with passenger toilet.
► Passenger waiting facilities on platform.
► Step free access with lifts and a bridge to, from and between both platforms
and the station building.
► 156 space car park with blue badge, motorcycle parking and cycle storage.
► Pedestrian and cycle routes from School Lane and Park Lane to the Station and
Bus Stops to be located on School Lane.
► Future provision for electric vehicle charging points.
► The new station, which will be operated by Merseyrail, is expected to be open
to the public in May 2018.
The ₤13m scheme is being funded through the Government's Local Growth Fund (LGF),
Merseytravel and the Homes and Communities Association, which previously owned
the land on which the station will be built. It will form part of the wider
₤340m investment by Network Rail and the Liverpool City Region in rail
improvements over the next 3 years.
Network Rail are undertaking the scheme on behalf of Merseytravel, using the
contractor Buckingham Group. Initial work has begun on clearing the vegetation
on the existing railway cutting to allow construction work to begin. To
help progress the work further, Network Rail require 2 weekend
"possessions", which will see the closure of the railway between Maghull
and Ormskirk on the weekends of:- 27 October to 28 October 2017 and 4 November
to 5 November 2017.
A Rail Replacement Bus Service will be in
place during this period. A further possession will be required towards the end
of 2017, with full details to be confirmed nearer the time. More details on the
scheme can be found on the Merseytravel's
website. Information about the wider Network Rail investment and
Liverpool City Region investment can be found
online.
Cllr Liam Robinson, Chair of Merseytravel said:- "The start of work on the
new Maghull North station is fantastic news for the local area. The new Station
is a prime example of our Long Term Rail Strategy being put into practice. The
facilities at the new station will give local residents more travel options and
play a big part in helping the on going development of Maghull. We look forward
to seeing the facilities open in 2018."
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail's managing director, said:- "The
opening of another station on the network is testament to the surge in
popularity of our railway, as an increasing number Liverpool City Region
residents become aware of how easy and convenient it is to travel on Merseyrail.
With more houses being built close by, we are confident that Maghull North will
soon be seen as an essential amenity within this expanding community"
Martin Frobisher, Network Rail's London North Western route managing director,
said:- "With passenger figures set to double during peak periods by 2043,
the upgrade to the railway across Merseyside is vital to transform train travel
for passengers in the future. We've worked closely with our colleagues across
the transport industry, and the Liverpool City Region, over the past 2 years to
build a robust plan to keep passengers on the move during our upgrade."
Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton Council's Cabinet Member Locality Services, said:-
"Now that Planning permission has been granted, it is great to see work
commencing on this important piece of infrastructure promoting public transport
in Maghull. Not only does the new station provide some of the infrastructure
needed to support our Local Plan, it also complements other transport schemes
like the improvements to junction 1 on the M58 and the A59 making Sefton even
more accessible. I look forward to the scheme progressing with the station
planned to open in 2018."
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