Golborne train station plans could be back on track with more funding put forward

Plans to build a new railway station at Golborne could move a step closer with just over £340,000 set to be added to the funding pot. This is part of £14 million in cash set to be approved by Greater Manchester Combined Authority on Friday as they look to improve the region’s transport routes.

Back in January 2021, £16 million was approved by GMCA for the development and delivery of a new railway station at Golborne. This extra funding will go on top of the £700,000 already put on the table to establish the outline of the project, generate more proposals for funding, and how much it would cost to deliver and operate the development.

The station, once constructed, could give the town, which sits between Leigh and Wigan, direct access to the rail network for the first time in 50 years. The old station in Golborne was shut in 1961 following the Beeching report. This report identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles (8,000 km) of railway line for closure, amounting to 55 per cent of stations, 30 per cent of route miles, and 67,700 British Rail positions being axed.

Leigh’s Conservative MP James Grundy, who has been a big supporter of the railway station’s return, made a submission to his government as part of the national Restoring your Railway Fund. This is a £500m pot of cash meant for recommissioning old out-of-use stations.

Vernon Everitt, Transport Commissioner for Greater Manchester, said: “Momentum continues to build behind delivery of the Bee Network – the integrated, affordable and accessible public transport and active travel network for our city-region. These schemes will provide much-needed improvements such as dealing with pinch points on main bus routes experiencing delays or poor journey time reliability, improved passenger waiting facilities, raised kerbs for better access at bus stops and better real-time customer information. 

“This investment will also ensure signage is well-maintained and provide the latest road signalling technology to tackle delays.”

A walking and cycling network between Wigan and Standish has also been given £1.3 million from the Mayor’s Challenge Fund. The first phase will see the Beech Hill area connected to Wigan town centre and Wigan & Leigh College via Mesnes Park.