PLANS to build a new railway station in the borough could move a step closer as more than £340,000 is set to be added to the funding pot.

Back in January 2021, £16 million was approved by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) for the development and delivery of a new railway station at Golborne.

Since GMCA gave the funding approval two years ago, more than £700,000 has been put on the table to establish the outline of the project and examine how much it would cost to deliver and operate the development.

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The proposed station, which would give Golborne direct access to the rail network for the first time in 60 years, would be erected around High Street in Golborne, on the edge of Wigan and Leigh.

The old station in Golborne was shut in 1961 following the Beeching report, which identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles of railway line for closure.

At the time, this amounted to 55 per cent of stations, 30 per cent of route miles, and 67,700 British Rail positions being axed.

Leigh Journal: The new station would give Golborne residents direct rail access for the first time in 50 yearsThe new station would give Golborne residents direct rail access for the first time in 50 years (Image: Northern Rail)

The additional funding is part of £14 million in cash set to be approved by the GMCA on Friday, January 28, as they look to improve the region’s transport routes.

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.”