I touched on this in the Merseyrail thread, but more details here:
Merseytravel has commissioned Network Rail to investigate expansion, as part of a £150,000 feasibility study into extending the Northern Line to Skelmersdale, which would see 2 new stations built, one in/near Tower Hill and the other in Skelmersdale.
The expansion of the line through Kirkby could end at one of the four options proposed by Merseytravel – a rail link into Skelmersdale town centre, to just south of the M58, to White Moss or to a new park-and-ride station between Rainford and Up Holland.
Lancashire Council is paying £100k and Merseytravel the other £50k.
I suspect the report will include an option for electrifying through to Wigan, which is probably more cost effective than just running a very small diesel service. By extending to Wigan, you also have the possibility of TfGM contributing as well as Lancashire CC and Merseytravel.
This is something that should have happened back in the late 70s - and the powers were there for all sorts of schemes, but lack of money curtailed the PTE's ambition.
I'm quite surprised the Headbolt Lane extension, at the very least, hasn't happened.
It's a case of the haves and have-nots at Kirkby station. On the west side it's all corporate yellow and black Merseytravel - bright and modern, state of the art realtime information. Clean electric trains that are fast and frequent.
Go under the bridge to the eastside - one windowless shelter, scant lighting and very little else. A daytime hourly service using Class 150 diesels belching out smoke and crap, etc.....
However, the potential is enormous.
I'd like to see electrification to both Skem and Wigan. The Wigan extension is a lot more straightforward, however the route is single-tracked between just east of Fazakerley and Rainford, including a single-track bridge over the M57 motorway. A link into Skem town centre is essential for this new layout to work - half-hearted attempts to get local residents to park-and-ride at a dedicated station outside the town defeats the entire object.
Its about time LCC put some money into this, Skem was pulled out of the proposed Merseyside area in 1971 by the then local MP, since then LCC has looked upon the area as not really being theirs to care about, Merseytravel should be applauded for investing into something they dont have to
It's likely that if Skem had become part of the Merseyside county in 1974 then the rail link may have come a lot closer to fruition than the stage we're at now.
I know Ribble introduced some bus-rail interchange facilities for Skem using Up-Holland station in the early 1970s? However successful was that?
Considering Skem was built as an over-spill town for Liverpool, it's quite ironic that today there's just ONE direct return bus journey each day on Arriva's 345 between the two locations. Back in the early 1970s there was no end of bus facilities, including a dedicated football bus to Goodison or Anfield on a Saturday afternoon.
I think Merseytravel / MPTE have always had a vested interest concerning public transport interests in Skem, and as has been noted Lancashire County Council have pretty much turned a blind eye.
Whether LCC was responsible or not but the trend in Skem was to urge the population to change their travel habits towards Wigan and, to a lesser extent, Ormskirk and even Southport.
Scouse-bashing anyone????
Mention must be made of the half-hearted attempt to use Kirkby as a bus-rail interchange for Skem people. Ribble's 395/396 were introduced in the late 1970s at the expense of some direct facilities between Skem and Liverpool. The scheme was not a success, and the direct journeys were reintroduced again.
(17/12/2012 15:15)skelmersey Wrote: [ -> ]Having read the document I dont see any mention of electrification into Wigan, link:-
http://moderngov.merseytravel.uk.net/mgC...ersdale%22
Don't know what that is, but Network Rail haven't even started the review yet! They've only just been commissioned to review the line, (last week).
I suspect Merseytravel have asked Network Rail to undertake a GRIP Level 3 Study, (as suggested in the Section 3 of the above document).
Network Rail will have to definitely look at the Benefit:Cost Ratios for all manner of extensions.
I am definitely in favour of an extension to Headbolt Lane as is planned, which will benefit a sizeable proportion of Kirkby's population for whom the current station at Westvale is inconvenient and the bus service (20/21) under capacity. Wigan is a stretch too far though in my opinion, not being anywhere near Merseyside and an area with no real connection with the county. Skelmersdale is a different proposition, having considerable ties with Liverpool as an overspill town. However, I would've thought electrification via Ormskirk would be better.
With Headbolt Lane, altering the local station names would be preferable, perhaps Kirkby West and Kirkby East. It would be hard to get used to referring to the "Headbolt Lane line".
(17/12/2012 22:09)507009 Wrote: [ -> ]I am definitely in favour of an extension to Headbolt Lane as is planned, which will benefit a sizeable proportion of Kirkby's population for whom the current station at Westvale is inconvenient and the bus service (20/21) under capacity. Wigan is a stretch too far though in my opinion, not being anywhere near Merseyside and an area with no real connection with the county. Skelmersdale is a different proposition, having considerable ties with Liverpool as an overspill town. However, I would've thought electrification via Ormskirk would be better.
With Headbolt Lane, altering the local station names would be preferable, perhaps Kirkby West and Kirkby East. It would be hard to get used to referring to the "Headbolt Lane line".
What about naming Headbolt Lane as Tower Hill? Rename Kirkby (Merseyside) as Kirkby Town. Ticketing wise you just create a new cluster "Kirkby Stns".
If it was extended to Wigan, it is likely to be most cost effective. GMPTE (TFGM) would probably be prepared to contribute to the project. The DfT could probably also be persuaded to contribute as it would free up 1-2 DMUs for Northern, (which could benefit Southport-Wigan). I think Liverpool-Wigan is quite a sizeable market, bigger than Skem.
If the line to Skem was via Ormskirk, there could be alternative services to Skem and Burscough - another extension plan that has been mentioned. This would give a 30 minute frequency to both places, as well as providing a connection to both Wigan and Southport.
I always thought two of the long term aspirations on the Northern Line was extending from Hunts Cross to Warrington Central and from Ormskirk to Preston.
None of these extensions mooted can really take place till new stock is available as the units diagrams would be very stretched to say the least.
The only Wirral Line aspiration is down the mid wirral line but to where Woodchurch , Neston , Shotton or Wrexham .