Skelmersdale residents might soon be able to travel to Southport on the train if plans are approved

Rosie Cooper MP has today been informed by Lancashire County Council that they have completed the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) proposal for Skelmersdale Railway and are submitting it to the Department for Transport.  

The SOBC sets out detailed proposals for a train station in Skelmersdale, which will now be subject to scrutiny and approval by the Government. Skelmersdale has been without a train station since 1956, when the previous station was closed.  

Rosie has fought long and hard for this project, which she believes will be transformative for the town.  

West Lancashire MP Rosie commented:
“This is an enormous step in the fight for Skelmersdale Railway! 

“Every resident of Skelmersdale knows how utterly revolutionary this will be for the town. It is absurd that with a population of close to 40,000, Skelmersdale doesn’t have a train station of its own.  

“The Government are already aware of Skelmersdale’s need for a train station; the Prime Minister even named Skelmersdale as one of the Towns that should benefit from the Beeching reversal fund!   

“I will be doing everything I can, in Parliament and locally, to ensure we receive the funding and DfT approval for this project. To start, I have invited the Transport Secretary to join me on a walk around Skelmersdale, so that he can truly appreciate how beneficial this project will be to the area.   

“Residents of Skelmersdale understandably feel like they live on an isolated and forgotten island. Connecting it to the rail network will be an economic explosion, opening up a wealth of social and professional possibilities.  

“For far too long, Skelmersdale has been overlooked, if the Government are really committed to their ’levelling up’ agenda, they will acknowledge this fact and approve this proposal without hesitation!”