Merseyrail: funding for Headbolt Lane and St James stations

M28361M · 2 Sep 2019

frodshamfella said:
What is actually delaying the line into Skelmersdale, does anyone know ?

It has to go through the time-consuming GRIP process to ensure it is value for money and feasible. The current state of play seems to be that an outline business plan is being developed to be delivered to the Government to try and secure funding - see this report from LancsLive (from May 2019):-

A train station for Skelmersdale has moved a step closer after it was agreed to move to the next stage of the process which could eventually make it a reality.

Lancashire County Council’s cabinet has approved a plan to commission an outline business case which will then be put to government.

The document will determine whether a town centre station, connecting to the Wigan to Kirkby line, would be affordable, deliverable in a reasonable timescale and value for money.

An estimated cost for the project had been expected in March, but further work to decide the most suitable power source for the route means the figure will not now be known before the end of the year.

Building a station at Headbolt Lane could be a useful stepping stone, as the costs of the station would presumably include the works needed to reinstate a double track line through Kirkby and extend the third rail. That reduces the amount of work that needs to be paid for out of the Skelmersdale project's budget, improving the business case for the latter.

RailUK Forums

EveningStar · 3 Sep 2019

Vaguely recall seeing 'Headbolt Lane' flash pass on the Solari displays at Liverpool Central when I was a Liverpool undergraduate in the early 1980s. Looked a little bit optimistic at the time ...

prod_pep · 3 Sep 2019

I'm sure Headbolt Lane used to be a destination on the 507/508 blinds. There were other optimistic oddities like St Helens, Helsby and Woodchurch featured on various issues of blind, too.

jamesst · 3 Sep 2019

prod_pep said:
I'm sure Headbolt Lane used to be a destination on the 507/508 blinds. There were other optimistic oddities like St Helens, Helsby and Woodchurch featured on various issues of blind, too.

Ironically Ellesmere Port wasnt which is why that part of the wind through board always looked very clean when trains were extended there!

Djgr · 3 Sep 2019

jamesst said:
Ironically Ellesmere Port wasnt which is why that part of the wind through board always looked very clean when trains were extended there!

I don't consider that the electrification of the Ellesmere Port "branch" has fulfilled its potential-not helped by the shopping area migrating down to Cheshire Oaks.

Mind you, a proper peak time service from Ellesmere Port to Manchester at a decent speed by not stopping at every hamlet en route could do well picking up the M53/M56 Wirral-Manchester commuter traffic.

Llandudno · 3 Sep 2019

EveningStar said:
Vaguely recall seeing 'Headbolt Lane' flash pass on the Solari displays at Liverpool Central when I was a Liverpool undergraduate in the early 1980s. Looked a little bit optimistic at the time ...

I seem to recall either Skem & Wigan or Wigan via Skem.

Not sure I am keen on the name Headbolt Lane, It would be confusing to call it East Kirkby though!

Perhaps Northwood or Kirkby Northwood would be better?

Gareth · 3 Sep 2019

Headbolt Lane > Northwood & Tower Hill

Kirkby > Kirkby Westhead

Bletchleyite · 3 Sep 2019

There was definitely Ormskirk via Ford as an alternative to via Orrell Park.

Djgr · 6 Sep 2019

Presumably Headbolt Lane will be a mega Park and Ride as per Maghull North, Birkenhead North and Hooton?

On the other hand Baltic Triangle will just cater for the expanding City Centre?

507021 · 6 Sep 2019

Gareth said:
Headbolt Lane > Northwood & Tower Hill

Kirkby > Kirkby Westhead

I don't think Kirkby needs renaming personally, the station at Headbolt Lane being called Northwood isn't a bad shout though.

Djgr · 6 Sep 2019

507021 said:
I don't think Kirkby needs renaming personally, the station at Headbolt Lane being called Northwood isn't a bad shout though.

Knowsley Parkway?

Gareth · 6 Sep 2019

507021 said:
I don't think Kirkby needs renaming personally, the station at Headbolt Lane being called Northwood isn't a bad shout though.

I was just thinking because Headbolt Lane is also in Kirkby. Maghull could maybe do with being renamed Maghull South too.

Gareth · 6 Sep 2019

Djgr said:
Knowsley Parkway?

Arf!!!

507021 · 6 Sep 2019

Gareth said:
I was just thinking because Headbolt Lane is also in Kirkby. Maghull could maybe do with being renamed Maghull South too.

Northwood would be better for the Headbolt Lane station, IMO, although I expect it'll probably end up being called the latter.

I do agree Maghull should be renamed though.

AndrewE · 6 Sep 2019

David Emmott said:
It's a waste of time building a link to JLA without a station also in the centre of Speke itself: one of the most deprived communities in Merseyside that would greatly benefit from better transport. A terminal loop like Heathrow or the Wirral line would surely be feasible and money should have been found for it years ago.

I agree. 2 southern destinations would be quite OK on the "Northern" line (not termini as this one is a loop!) especially if the service from the northern branches was intensified.

M28361M said:
Maghull North was claimed to cost £13m, for comparison. However, I imagine both these new stations will be much more expensive projects.

St James is located in a deep cutting between two tunnels...

a bit like Birkenhead Park then. Which just shows that it can be done if you want to...

I am not sure there is 6 (or 8) coaches length in the short open air section, so the tunnel may need to be widened to allow space for the platform, also there are signalling cabinets on the former platforms that might require relocation.

And Headbolt Lane will require an extension of electrification and probably redoubling of the line through Kirkby.

Good! - and why not? Oh, I remember now, it's not in Greater London!

M28361M · 6 Sep 2019

So the latest news is that the funding was approved today - according to the latest article from the Echo.

There is one thing to be aware of before getting carried away with excitement though:-

The combined authority report approved today says that the fund is 'overprogrammed', meaning not all of the projects would be covered by the £172.5m budget for that programme.

However a spokesman confirmed last week that for any projects that could not be covered within that budget the authority would move to identify other pots of funding.

...so it sounds like the individual projects still need to be allocated specific funding, from the £172.5m pot or elsewhere, before proceeding.

PS other things of railway interest in that £172.5m, according to the Liverpool City Region website: improvements to the space around Runcorn station, a package of improvements for interchange at Lea Green station, wifi and battery technology for the new Merseyrail fleet, a study into expanding Liverpool Central station, remodelling of Birkenhead Central, and work to develop capacity at Lime Street for Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Eccles1983 · 6 Sep 2019

I'm not sold on the need for a second station at Kirkby.

The patronage doesn't justify it, and tower hill and Northwood aren't exactly miles away from the current station.

Added to the problems relating to 3rd rail extensions I cannot fathom why this is a priority over other projects.

jamesst · 6 Sep 2019

AndrewE said:
I agree. 2 southern destinations would be quite OK on the "Northern" line (not termini as this one is a loop!) especially if the service from the northern branches was intensified.

a bit like Birkenhead Park then. Which just shows that it can be done if you want to...Good! - and why not? Oh, I remember now, it's not in Greater London!

Nothing at all like Birkenhead Park, that's located in a fairly open cutting with 2 bridges (and a sizeable gap) either side.

AndrewE · 6 Sep 2019

jamesst said:
Nothing at all like Birkenhead Park, that's located in a fairly open cutting with 2 bridges (and a sizeable gap) either side.

I thought I remembered it being a brand-new station in a really deep vertical-sided cutting. Am I thinking of somewhere else?

507021 · 6 Sep 2019

AndrewE said:
I thought I remembered it being a brand-new station in a really deep vertical-sided cutting. Am I thinking of somewhere else?

Conway Park is situated in a cutting, however I think the original plan was for it to be fully underground with something built on top of the station.

Bevan Price · 6 Sep 2019

frodshamfella said:
Well now Boris has found the 'Magic Money Tree ' Teresa couldnt find all must be possible to happen !!

Even if he wins the next election, does anyone believe that the money tree will survive. More likely for it to wither & die like many pre-election bribes have done in the past....

AndrewE · 6 Sep 2019

507021 said:
Conway Park is situated in a cutting, however I think the original plan was for it to be fully underground with something built on top of the station.

Thanks, I was going to Birkenhead Park (a fabulous destination, by the way) so I guessed that was where I got off! Conway Park it was.

frodshamfella · 6 Sep 2019

David Emmott said:
It's a waste of time building a link to JLA without a station also in the centre of Speke itself: one of the most deprived communities in Merseyside that would greatly benefit from better transport. A terminal loop like Heathrow or the Wirral line would surely be feasible and money should have been found for it years ago.

Absolutely yes.

Meerkat · 7 Sep 2019

Headbolt Lane is the start of an extension which would presumably have to be OHE.
Any idea where the power would come from - an extension lead from Wigan or a new power supply?
If the latter would it be set up such that it could feed a slow changeover of the overground bits of Merseyrail to OHE?

Djgr · 7 Sep 2019

Meerkat said:
Headbolt Lane is the start of an extension which would presumably have to be OHE.
Any idea where the power would come from - an extension lead from Wigan or a new power supply?
If the latter would it be set up such that it could feed a slow changeover of the overground bits of Merseyrail to OHE?

Merseyrail will never convert to OHE, whatever pen pusher policy is produced.

Meerkat · 7 Sep 2019

As dc extension is ruled out and batteries have been ruled out on the new trains.....how are the extensions supposed to work?

Gareth · 7 Sep 2019

DC being ruled out entirely is an RF interpretation.

61653 HTAFC · 7 Sep 2019

Djgr said:
Merseyrail will never convert to OHE, whatever pen pusher policy is produced.

I agree the existing 3rd rail is unlikely to ever be converted, but aren't the 777s designed to be easily switched to both dual voltage and dual pickup method? I could see a short extension such as Headbolt Lane being permitted as 3rd rail, however if Skelmersdale is given the green light I'd expect it to be OHLE.

urbophile · 7 Sep 2019

507021 said:
I don't think Kirkby needs renaming personally, the station at Headbolt Lane being called Northwood isn't a bad shout though.

It seems to be part of gentrifying to label downmarket suburbs 'villages'. In this case, Kirkby Village would be accurate as before the new town the scattered rural community tended to gather around the station. Maybe it will inspire developers and estate agents even more. Instead of Headbolt Lane, Northwood and Tower Hill is fine (Northwood alone if double barrelled station names are out of fashion).

Ianno87 · 7 Sep 2019

61653 HTAFC said:
I agree the existing 3rd rail is unlikely to ever be converted, but aren't the 777s designed to be easily switched to both dual voltage and dual pickup method? I could see a short extension such as Headbolt Lane being permitted as 3rd rail, however if Skelmersdale is given the green light I'd expect it to be OHLE.

....would third rail to Headbolt Lane ever be authorised if Skelmersdale were a credible future proposition?

Merseyrail: funding for Headbolt Lane and St James stations

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