Greater Manchester town's new railway station moves step closer as 'another piece of jigsaw' falls into place

Green space on the edge of Castleton will be transformed into a new housing development following planning approval granted by Rochdale Council in June. The 191-home proposal put forward by developer Kellen Homes is touted for the site once occupied by Baggs Yard Railing Sidings off Heywood Road.

Currently, the site includes a disused railway siding associated with Castleton North, East and South Junction. The new housing estate, just 650m from Castleton Station, would provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes. But for railway enthusiasts, this scheme’s approval means the land will be unlocked to facilitate the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) extension.

The newly approved site is one allocation of the Places for Everyone plan (PfE), which dictated that some of the land be preserved for the extension of the heritage railway. PfE aims to bring thousands of new homes and jobs to Greater Manchester by 2039.

According to ELR, this approval is ‘another piece of the jigsaw falling into place’. The extension would be around one mile long and would see a new station created.

A spokesperson for the ELR said: “The original ambition of Rochdale Council working with the ELR was set out in a 2010 masterplan ‘Unlocking the Potential for Castleton and Heywood’.  The proposed extension is also in the East Lancashire Railway Trust 2020-2030 strategy.

“I agree that with the planning permission approved another piece of the jigsaw has fallen into place. The extension to Castleton would be just over a mile long and be the ELR’s eight station.

“As for making progress, unfortunately Covid has impacted on feasibility work. However, the ELR are working closely with Rochdale Council and the Transport for Greater Manchester on the operational and financial feasibility in extending the heritage line up to Castleton.  At this stage there are no details on how long this work would take.”

The heritage line is currently more than 12 miles long with seven stations on the route celebrating the area’s railway history dating back to the 1840s.