Lea Green station set for £15m upgrade 

A new station building and additional car parking spaces are to be created after Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agreed to fund the St Helens project. 

The combined authority will contribute £15m towards the Eastern Region Interchange and Connectivity scheme from its Transforming Cities Fund. 

The project forms part of the combined authority’s wider plans to encourage people to use more sustainable modes of transport and seeks to improve transport connectivity in and around Lea Green Station for the 500,000 passengers who use the station every year. 

Close to the station, proposals for the Bull and Dog junction include the city region’s first CYCLOPS (Cycle Optimised Protected Signals) junction, designed to enable pedestrians, cyclists and motorists to use a junction at the same time in a safe way. 

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram said: “When I was elected, I made it a priority to improve our local transport network to make it easier, quicker and more affordable for local people. 

“That’s why we’ve invested nearly £15m in and around Lea Green station to improve the facilities and make it a much better place for travellers and cyclists alike.” 

As well as the Lea Green scheme, Rotheram said he is “developing wider plans for a London-style transport network, with tap-in contactless payments, fare caps and better buses and trains”. 

Cllr Andy Bowden, St Helens Borough Council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “We’re always looking to make active travel an easier option and will encourage longer commutes by rail at the upgraded train station, so securing this funding is a positive step forward. 

“Our intention is to make sure this scheme is fit for the future by planning in future development of nearby brownfield sites so that sustainable travel is built in from the start of developments to help create healthy habits from the beginning.”