James Grundy MP: ​all on track for new railway station in Golborne

​It has been the ambition of the people of Golborne to be reconnected to the national rail network since the previous railway station was closed to passengers in 1961, 63 years ago.

Golborne had previously been served by at least one railway station since 1839 and the loss of passenger services was a heavy blow to the community.

Golborne currently has no direct bus, train or tram services to Manchester, so train services from a new station at Golborne would reduce journey times into Manchester city centre by at least 30 minutes.

During public consultation into the proposed new railway station at Golborne, which I and the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham have both taken part in, I saw first hand, but was not surprised by, the overwhelming public support from the people of Golborne for this project.

After consulting with representatives of TFGM after the final public consultation event, I was informed that the provisional level of support for the opening of the station was running at over 93%.

Many local people seeing this project, not just as infrastructure improvement, but also, an issue of local identity and pride.

As a former mining community, Golborne was hit hard by the closure of the local colliery in 1989 and in the years since has been transitioning into a commuter belt community for both Manchester and Liverpool.

This transition has, however, been significantly slowed by the lack of adequate road and rail infrastructure which has meant that the full potential of Golborne has not yet been able to be realised.

The reconnection of Golborne to the national rail network will be transformative for the regeneration of the town.

It is a chance to put ‘Levelling Up’ into action.

As a community situated approximately half way between Liverpool and Manchester, Golborne has the opportunity to achieve the same level of prosperity as other Greater Manchester commuter communities such as Cheadle or Altrincham if we can enable the right conditions to emerge for that success.

As not just the local MP, but also a local resident in the neighbouring village of Lowton, I know how important this issue is to the people of Golborne and I am incredibly proud that this bid is coming forward to deliver Golborne station under a Conservative Government.