Plans in for £32m Golborne station
Greater Manchester’s first new station in a quarter of a century has taken an important step towards opening in 2027 with the submission of a planning application.
The two-platform, £32m Golborne station would address one of Greater Manchester’s public transport blackspots and reduce journey times from Wigan town into Manchester city centre by up to 30 minutes.
Golborne currently has no direct bus, train or tram services to Manchester. It previously had a train station, but it closed in the 1960s following the Beeching report.
Transport for Greater Manchester, with Wigan Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, has submitted a planning application for the project.
The new station would be located on the site of the old one, off Railway Road. The proposed site is on the West Coast Mainline, which runs east of Golborne’s High Street.
As well as improving the experience of getting in and out of Golborne, it is hoped the station could act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the town centre.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point, but we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton, said: “Having advocated for the re-opening of Golborne station since first being in parliament in 2017, I’m pleased to see significant progress being made.
“The area has been without rail connectivity for over 60 years, so I welcome the much-needed connectivity that this will bring to residents. It will better connect the local community to jobs, education and leisure activities, and is a major step towards making Golborne an even greater place to live and work.”
To learn more search for reference number A/24/98015/MAJOR on Wigan Council’s planning portal.
WSP is the consultancy leading on the scheme.
Great news.
Pricey though. But 3 times cheaper than Liverpool’s £100m for the proposed Liverpool Baltic station, which is also being inserted onto an existing live track.
By Bingo Hall
There is also a station planned in Cheadle, which is in GM, as part of the town fund that already has planning permission..
By Towns Fund
First new station in a quarter of a century. Apart from the one in Cheadle that already has planning permission and is scheduled to open by the end of next year.
By Martin Cranmer
A new station is great news. The building however looks fairly dull, based on the images. Maybe having a more modern design would be better – although I bet it would be pricier.
By Anonymous
@ Bingo H, I think the engineering issues at Liverpool Baltic are far more complex than at the Golborne Station, hence the price tag of £100m, if it is that much , as some of that cost is for surface level roadworks and landscaping.
By Anonymous
Have the train station up and running again will be a massive boost for Golborne, my only concern will be the parking situation, is there any plans in place for this?
By Anonymous
Obviously the core mission is to deliver access to the railway, but this lacks any design quality what-so-ever.
By Golborne Anon
Ground breaking architecture once again in Manchester
By Quail
There aren’t any trains that run through Golborne in the direction of Manchester though. This is the mainline running towards Warrington, with a spur to Liverpool, so at best it might make for a slightly quicker journey into Wigan North Western, to change across to Wallgate, in the hope of catching the slow and fairly sparse Northern service into Manchester.
No great benefit for GM, although convenient for a Mayor who lives nearby to get to and from London, or to Liverpool whenever he pops over to upstage Mayor Steve.
By Anonymous
The building is actually an existing good shed and not a new station building. (people should research the info before commenting) That said the visualization work is awful. No way i’d be standing on platform 1 when i train comes half the track is under the platform…
By Anon
Anonymous 12.55: TfGM are proposing an hourly Wigan-Stalybridge via Victoria to call at the new station
By Anonymous
Re: Anon 1.05pm, a new fast connection from Victoria to Wigan would be useful beyond any benefit to Golborne, but is this a TfGM/GMCA wishlist item or is there anything reasonably firm to suggest it would happen? Otherwise is it another Build-it-and-they-will-come gamble?
By Anonymous
GMCA haven’t quite got the out the message that with Stalybridge to Victoria electrified by TRU, and Lostock-Wigan being electrified in 2025 we kind of get something like an electrified East-West S-Bahn through running Victoria.
By Rich X
Well done Golborne, if only Skelmersdale, which is in Lancashire, could’ve got its rail connection to Kirkby and the Merseyrail network.
By Anonymous
Burnham finally getting something more than just some new buses.
By Allergic to Squirrels
I have waited 32 years for this rumor to come to lite ! I would have used it for work in MCR.
Ive since retired.
Typical
By Sigrid121