Council will lobby for four new railway stations in Morecambe and Heysham

Official calls will be made for four new railway stations to be built in Morecambe and Heysham to serve visitors to the new Eden Project.

Lancaster City Council has decided to lobby for new stations or stopping points between Oxcliffe Road and Mossgate Park in Heysham, in Westgate near to the football stadium and in Morecambe at York Bridge.

The council will also call for a new station with an adjacent ‘park and ride’ car park at the end of the bypass near the Trumacar roundabout in Heysham - on land already owned by the city and county councils.

They are also calling for other improvements to the railway service to benefit visitors to the new Eden Project Morecambe - including electrification of the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham service.

During a meeting at Morecambe Town Hall on Wednesday, city councillors voted to "make the case to the appropriate bodies and organisations at every available opportunity" for these new railway stations in Morecambe and Heysham.

They also called for all political parties to work towards delivering an improved rail service for the residents of Morecambe and Heysham as well as for visitors to Eden and users of Heysham Port.

This came after a motion was brought before full council by a cross-party group of 15 councillors - Catherine Potter, Joanne Ainscough, Catherine Armistead, Matthew Black, Phillip Bradley, Claire Cozler, John Hanson, Prof Chris Harris, Colin Hartley, Margaret Pattison, Susan Penney and David Whitaker (all Labour), Roger Cleet (independent) and Paul Hart and John Livermore (Lib Dem).

Councillor Potter from Heysham South ward (pictured below), proposing the motion, said: "The railway line from Lancaster to Morecambe via Bare Lane alerady passes by York Bridge, where there was a former station, then once per day travels on to Heysham Port passing between Westgate and the West End through Heysham before arriving at its destination.

"So we already have a railway line passing by us. Let's have some stations so we can actually get on the trains.

"They don't need to be big stations. Maybe just halts. They don't need to be much bigger than a bus stop."

A halt is a small and basic stopping point for trains, usually consisting of just a platform and a small shelter.

Councillor Cleet (pictured below), seconding the motion, said: "Battery powered trains are the answer.

"At the end of the Bay Gateway, we could have a park and ride and along that railway line, you could have stations. I really do think it's the way forward. It's green and gets all the traffic out of Morecambe.

"What better start is there going to Eden, than on an electric-powered train?"

Councillor Matthew Black said: "We Westgate councillors have regular complaints about traffic and parking on match days (at Morecambe FC).

"Poor parking is damaging a lot of the green spaces in Westgate.

"A train station behind the (football) stadium would make a massive difference to the area."

Councillor Whitaker said: "There are many many problems rail users face travelling from Morecambe.

"It's clear the rail network in this area needs serious reform. We need to lobby. We need to put pressure on. We need a more reliable rail service with Eden coming. Having more stations will improve the lives of rail users and residents in the area. It will encourage people to abandon the car and use the train. It will improve the environment.

"It will address some of the parking problems of people coming into the West End during match days."

Councillor Andrew Gardiner, Conservative leader (pictured below), said: "I'm disappointed that you haven't included me in this conversation but I am going to support (the motion).

"(Morecambe and Lunesdale MP) David Morris said he would like to thank the council for pursuing this project. He has already had a meeting with the trains minister and met with (government minister) Esther McVey to discuss potential investment as well.

"It is an opportunity to take cars off the road, to make life easier for access. I hope it won't affect the bus services, because in Overton and other rural areas they are vital."

Councillor Potter apologised for not including Councillor Gardiner, who represents Overton, and said this was because they were focussing on the wards where the stations would be.

There were also words of warning from some councillors about the vision for four new railway stations.

Councillor Gerry Blaikie of the Lib Dems (pictured below), who represents the council on the Community Rail Partnership and the Lancaster-Skipton Rail Users Group, told his fellow councillors he'd previously been told by a Network Rail rep that "there is no chance at all" of electrification of the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham line.

"However since then, Eden has got the definite go-ahead and there is the money from scrapping HS2, so there is a possibility," he said.

Councillor Blaikie also said a station at York Bridge was too close to Morecambe station, because Network Rail have a "minimum distance of 1.73 miles" between stations. He said one at Westgate would be "borderline".

But, he said, the station at the end of the Bay Gateway was "a possibility" as one existed there in the 1800s.

Councillor Gina Dowding of the Greens (pictured below) said she supported the motion but warned of "massive hurdles" to overcome to achieve the council's new railway vision.

"There will be some serious lobbying for investment in the rail network needed if we are to get anywhere with this," she said.

"The Lancaster-Morecambe rail route uses the West Coast Mainline. There is massive investment needed in the West Coast Mainline in order to free up slots from Lancaster to Morecambe. That's what hinders us. It's already quite congested. 

"Network Rail themselves have to be behind this and they have to be our main lobbying body. In the past when we've tried to get more stations, Bailrigg at the university has been mooted, they haven't been interested because they say it's not viable and not feasible. 

"So let's stick to the ambition, but let's be aware of the scale of the task."

WHAT WAS THE MOTION

The motion said that Lancaster City Council will:

Adopt the above as its preferred position in relation to railway stations on the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham line; make the case to the appropriate bodies and organisations at every available opportunity for new railway stations in Westgate, Poulton, Heysham and also potentially at the end of the Bay Gateway with an adjacent ‘park and ride’ car park; and call for all parties to work towards a solution that will deliver an improved rail service for the residents of Morecambe and Heysham as well as for visitors to Eden and users of the port.

A council report said: "Having access to the railway network would enhance the lives of our residents, connect us directly to national railway services, take traffic off our roads, reduce congestion throughout the district and help us achieve our net zero targets.

"It should also make the rail line more profitable for the operator as it will deliver many thousands more paying customers per year.

"We are all great supporters of the Eden development in Morecambe and are well aware of how transformational it has the potential to be.

"Lancashire County Council has responsibility for transport and not City, however Lancaster City Council is the accountable body for the Eden funding and is represented on the working group looking into the parking and transport needs of the visitors to Eden.

"The great majority of residents are fully supportive of the coming of Eden however their main concerns are the traffic and parking impact on the lives of the people who live in the area.

"Eden will be generating up to 4,000 visitors to Morecambe per day, a significant proportion of whom will be encouraged to arrive by train, necessitating an improvement to the service between Lancaster and Morecambe and beyond to Heysham Port.

"We understand that discussions are in their very early stages about such modernisation and improvements, including a new transport hub and some form of electrification, either through overhead lines or through the use of battery trains.

"(Local campaigning group) Lancaster Civic Vision has made a point of lobbying Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council with regards to this electrification of the service.

"Transport improvements shouldn’t just be to the benefit of Eden and its visitors but equally should benefit local residents.

"A new station at Heysham is particularly needed given that Heysham does not currently benefit from a viable passenger rail service or a credible station despite its considerable population and employment hubs, especially at the power station and the port. The creation of a passenger station alongside a park and ride could provide genuine change to help ease local commuting/school run patterns and improve air quality."

Lancaster City Council has previously tried to lobby for improved railway infrastructure, including stations along the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham rail route.

During the planning application process for Morecambe Football Club’s Globe Arena (now the Mazuma Mobile Stadium), the council tried to persuade Network Rail to include a rail halt as part of the development.

But the council believes that the reallocation of funding from the cancellation of the later phase of the HS2 railway project towards major local transport improvements "provides new encouragement for ambitious transport projects in the district".

Last month government minister Esther McVey visited Morecambe to announce that Lancashire had been given the biggest share of a pot of money to spend on improving road, rail and bus links.

Read more: INTERVIEWS: Minister Esther McVey visits Morecambe as government gives highest amount of transport money to Lancashire - Beyond Radio

The Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham line was previously electrified from 1908 to 1966.

Supporters say that re-electrification of the route, or providing battery-operated trains to work on the existing line, would ensure quicker and more comfortable rail journeys for visitors to Eden.

Around 24 per cent of the north’s rail network is currently electrified.