Help
Business Reviews
Loading...
Neston - A Rail Town of the Future
| Published: 29th October 2014 14:50 |
Neston once boasted two railway stations with direct links to Chester and Liverpool.
Neston Railway Station
One of the stations is now a distant memory. The link to Chester has also gone, apart from a tricky change at Shotton. As for the line to Liverpool, it is broken at Bidston, where the traveller joins the electrified Merseyrail system.
Now Neston Town Council has identified public transport as vital for the future and set its own rail priorities for the immediate and longer term. The Council has decided to campaign to put right the weaknesses in the current rail arrangements:
- No direct rail link to Chester;
- Limited connection to Liverpool, especially evenings and weekends;
- Disadvantage to Neston residents who don't enjoy the benefits of a connection to Merseyrail unlike all other stations in Cheshire this side of Chester.
The Council regards the present time as a good one to campaign for better rail links to the town:
- Local rail franchises up for renewal;
- Elections next May that provide a campaigning opportunity for the Council;
- Possible investment flowing from the High Speed Rail developments nationally and regionally.
Priorities for Neston
Immediate
- Campaign for Merseyrail concessions for Neston that are equivalent to all other railway stations in the former Ellesmere Port and Neston District;
- Secure better connections at Shotton and Bidston to improve links with Chester and Liverpool;
- A half-hourly service in the week and hourly on Sunday would be a good start.
Longer Term
- Campaign for the electrification with direct electric services into Liverpool;
- Campaign for a junction at Shotton for direct services to Chester and North Wales.
For further information contact Councillor Philip Lloyd, mhtp@fsmail.net.
Report this article as inappropriate
Comments
SHricAt 10:34 on 30th October 2014, SHric commented:
Great news to hear that the council will put pressure on this. Its incredible that it takes at least an hour to get to Liverpool, 12 miles away by public transport. The Wrexham Bidston line goes through so many commuter areas - Neston, Heswall, Upton to name the most obvious, but several others with some extra stations that it would be incredibly well used and take thousands of cars off the road, for a comparatively small sum. AT present hundreds of Neston residents drive to and from Hooton to use the service from there, causing more congestion. The WBRUA have been campaigning for this for years - see their web site at http://www.wbrua.net/Introduction.htm
SRobinsonAt 15:45 on 30th October 2014, SRobinson commented:
I would argue that even a half hourly service at peak times is not enough. For me to consider it a viable commuter service it would need to be every 20 mins at least. Currently I drive to Hooton as there is a train to and from liverpool about every 8 minutes or so. If I were to travel from Ellesmere Port the trains are still every 20 mins.
Also provision should be made to reconnect directly to Liverpool.
If both these were to happen I would use the train from Neston as a first choice for my commute if the fares were also reasonable.
Also provision should be made to reconnect directly to Liverpool.
If both these were to happen I would use the train from Neston as a first choice for my commute if the fares were also reasonable.
Chris34At 17:05 on 30th October 2014, Chris34 commented:
Neston needs improved services and the best way to do that is to at the very least provide a half hourly service. A preliminary timing I carried out showed that a Neston to Chester time of 30 minutes is achievable changing at Shotton.
However this timing relies on better connections with Shotton, which would be provided by better timings and a half hourly service. Shotton also provides onward services to Manchester and the Nort Wales Coast.
For some who commute to Manchester, changing trains at Shotton would only be the equivalent of taking the train from Hooton and then changing at Chester, however without the drive to Hooton.
As for Liverpool, the journey time could be improved by improving the track, line speed and the improved connections that a half hourly service would provide.
Granted both Shotton and Bidston are both in need of a facelift for them to become more appealing interchanges, but this would only come with increased passenger numbers, and a proven demand.
There are problems at the moment which make a half hourly service impossible in the short term, but I'm sure with lobbying by the local council in conjunction with Wirral council, Mersey Travel and Flintshire council it would be achievable in the medium term.
As for electrification, of course it's preferable in the long term, but very costly. The only way to convince the government to spend £100m+ is to start using the line and to improve the lines appeal with small incremental impressments.
I started a page some time ago to raise awareness, since then I have I've accrued a lot of information on the line and challenges of improving services, I'd be happy to provide any information I have to the Town Council, and any Councillors interested.
Search for Wrexham Bidston Action on Facebook
https://m.facebook.com/WrexhamBidstonAction
However this timing relies on better connections with Shotton, which would be provided by better timings and a half hourly service. Shotton also provides onward services to Manchester and the Nort Wales Coast.
For some who commute to Manchester, changing trains at Shotton would only be the equivalent of taking the train from Hooton and then changing at Chester, however without the drive to Hooton.
As for Liverpool, the journey time could be improved by improving the track, line speed and the improved connections that a half hourly service would provide.
Granted both Shotton and Bidston are both in need of a facelift for them to become more appealing interchanges, but this would only come with increased passenger numbers, and a proven demand.
There are problems at the moment which make a half hourly service impossible in the short term, but I'm sure with lobbying by the local council in conjunction with Wirral council, Mersey Travel and Flintshire council it would be achievable in the medium term.
As for electrification, of course it's preferable in the long term, but very costly. The only way to convince the government to spend £100m+ is to start using the line and to improve the lines appeal with small incremental impressments.
I started a page some time ago to raise awareness, since then I have I've accrued a lot of information on the line and challenges of improving services, I'd be happy to provide any information I have to the Town Council, and any Councillors interested.
Search for Wrexham Bidston Action on Facebook
https://m.facebook.com/WrexhamBidstonAction
JanAt 21:11 on 30th October 2014, Jan commented:
I travel to London predominantly for work, and sometimes other part of the country. This involves driving to Chester to get the train, usually at silly o'clock. If there was a more frequent and reliable service from Neston, I would be able to walk to the station to start my journey, which would provide possible time and cost savings for me personally, and using the car less would also be beneficial generally. It would also be wonderful to have an option of being able to visit Liverpool, Chester and other parts of the Wirral without having to worry about traffic and parking. Finally local businesses would surely benefit if the rail link was to be improved as this would encourage visitors into the town.
Grumpy.Old.GitAt 10:50 on 5th November 2014, Grumpy.Old.Git commented:
1. In addition to 30 min services (minimum acceptable although 20 mins would be better) it would be good if they were at the same times through the day from start to finish.
2. Straight through to Liverpool would be great - but to be fair Bidston station has been give a bit of a makeover and it is now more pleasant than hitherto.
3. At a talk by the Town Managerto the Civic Society I pointed out that this was one of the two things that were needed to boost Neston as a place to live and work. Great that the Council are pushing for change.
4. The other thing is super-fast Broadband, Can theCouncil fight for an acceleration of this also.
2. Straight through to Liverpool would be great - but to be fair Bidston station has been give a bit of a makeover and it is now more pleasant than hitherto.
3. At a talk by the Town Managerto the Civic Society I pointed out that this was one of the two things that were needed to boost Neston as a place to live and work. Great that the Council are pushing for change.
4. The other thing is super-fast Broadband, Can theCouncil fight for an acceleration of this also.
Brian RAt 10:50 on 6th November 2014, Brian R commented:
As an evacuee from London in 1944, I well remember travelling on both the rail links which served Neston/Parkgate. Access to Chester and war-torn Liverpool was easy, even with steam traction; so giving many of us children from other war-torn areas great joy, happiness and along with relative security. Later however, wisdom or otherwise decided that there was one rail line too many.
Now in my seventies, I often return down memory lane, and walk the old rail route from Neston to Parkgate. This obviously cannot be returned to it's former use but surely other improvements can be made to the existing line in order to attract more use.
Now living in Shrewsbury I can travel to Neston by changing at Wrexham on to a train which is old, near empty and pitifully slow. This of course, makes the car the easier option, so one more slow old driver takes to the road much to the annoyance of those who's needs are to be somewhere else a.s.a.p.
It was pointed out that the cost of electrification was 'too high'. The priority appears to be for another line between London and Birmingham to suppliment the existing three different routes, thus using up most of the available transport budget in order to make the fastest journey time twenty minutes shorter for a few important people.
I wonder why the cost of electrification is so high in this country as most of Europe's railways have been electrified for generations, even in those countries which are considered to be 'emerging'.
Either way, I do hope Neston residents get some of their much needed transport improvements. It's always a great pleasure for me to re-visit your beautiful area along with the pleasant memories of hospitality shown to so many of us evacuees seventy years ago.
Now in my seventies, I often return down memory lane, and walk the old rail route from Neston to Parkgate. This obviously cannot be returned to it's former use but surely other improvements can be made to the existing line in order to attract more use.
Now living in Shrewsbury I can travel to Neston by changing at Wrexham on to a train which is old, near empty and pitifully slow. This of course, makes the car the easier option, so one more slow old driver takes to the road much to the annoyance of those who's needs are to be somewhere else a.s.a.p.
It was pointed out that the cost of electrification was 'too high'. The priority appears to be for another line between London and Birmingham to suppliment the existing three different routes, thus using up most of the available transport budget in order to make the fastest journey time twenty minutes shorter for a few important people.
I wonder why the cost of electrification is so high in this country as most of Europe's railways have been electrified for generations, even in those countries which are considered to be 'emerging'.
Either way, I do hope Neston residents get some of their much needed transport improvements. It's always a great pleasure for me to re-visit your beautiful area along with the pleasant memories of hospitality shown to so many of us evacuees seventy years ago.
barryAt 20:41 on 6th November 2014, barry commented:
what about other links,
The deeside industrial park, the biggest in Europe, without a rail link or station.
Local communities, Well Lane Ness ?
The deeside industrial park, the biggest in Europe, without a rail link or station.
Local communities, Well Lane Ness ?
Recte NumerareAt 17:53 on 19th November 2014, Recte Numerare commented:
Yes, Barry we are only tinkering about here. Why not think out of the box. We COULD put a narrow gauge railway from Neston to Hooton just as easily as the Welsh have put one from Caernarfon to Porthmadoc. Great commute, great tourist draw and fun.
Seeing the thousands of cars pouring out of the Sealand Trading Estate the other night, I thought "why not a loop line into there with a couple of stops"
Why not a high level station at Marshlands Road?
Unfortunately we have an infrastructure designed by committees instead of the great men of vision who built the last railways.
Seeing the thousands of cars pouring out of the Sealand Trading Estate the other night, I thought "why not a loop line into there with a couple of stops"
Why not a high level station at Marshlands Road?
Unfortunately we have an infrastructure designed by committees instead of the great men of vision who built the last railways.
You need to log in before you can do that! It's only a quick registration process to join the AMA network and completely free.
Help