Headbolt Lane railway station
Headbolt Lane   | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Kirkby, Knowsley England |
| Grid reference | SJ417999 |
| Managed by | Merseyrail |
| Transit authority | Merseytravel |
| Platforms | 3[1] |
| Key dates | |
| 2022 | Construction began |
| 5 October 2023 | Station opened |
Headbolt Lane is a railway station in Kirkby, Merseyside, England, which opened on 5 October 2023.[2][3][4]
The station is the interchange between Merseyrail's Northern Line and the unelectrified Kirkby-Wigan line, operated by Northern Trains.[1]
History
Although the station was initially planned to act as a new Merseyrail terminus, the Electrification Task force declared the Kirkby to Salford Crescent via Wigan line to be a Tier 1 priority for electrification in 2015[5][6] which, if followed through, might enable the extension of Merseyrail services beyond Headbolt Lane.
Plans were devised by Merseytravel and Lancashire County Council to extend Merseyrail to serve Skelmersdale.[7] In 2017, the two authorities commissioned an initial £5 million feasibility study into establishing the new rail link and an intermediate station at Headbolt Lane.[7] Initial estimates suggested that it would cost around £300 million and would take up to a decade to deliver.[7]
In August 2019, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced that part of an agreed £172m funding package for the region would be used to fund the construction of the new station.[8][9] The Combined Authority approved that the first £3.3 million of funding for the project in July 2020, before signing off a further £66 million in March 2021.[1]
The station was designed to be built with three fully accessible platforms with accommodation for future Merseyrail extension to Skelmersdale.[1][10] A 270 space car park and bus interchange is a part of the plan.[1][11]
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority announced in July 2021 that after a trial of a battery electric multiple unit (BEMU) version of the new Class 777, it will serve the new station on opening.[12] This will not require the line extension to Headbolt Lane to be electrified.
The Department for Transport announced in July 2022 that it was rejecting the Strategic Outline Business Case for an extension to Skelmersdale.[13] The DfT instead suggested that better bus links with the Kirkby–Wigan rail line would be a cheaper way of improving connectivity for Skelmersdale.
The final reason for the delay in opening from Summer 2023 to October 2023 was the administration of the contractor (the Buckingham group) in August 2023.[14][15]
Services
The station is the terminus of the current Merseyrail service to Kirkby, which runs every 15 minutes during the day (every 30 minutes in the evenings and on Sundays), as well as the terminus of Northern Trains services towards Wigan Wallgate.[16]
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planned services | ||||
| Kirkby | Merseyrail Northern Line |
Terminus | ||
| Terminus | Northern Trains Kirkby branch line |
Rainford | ||
| Potential future services | ||||
| Kirkby | Merseyrail Northern Line |
Rainford | ||
Initially after 5 October 2023 Merseyrail ran an hourly service to Liverpool Central due to the car park being incomplete, to ramp up over time to the full 15 minute interval service.[17] Northern's service from Manchester Victoria and Blackburn also resumed on this date. They had been terminating at Rainford since 7 April 2023 (with bus replacement services provided between Rainford and Kirkby) to allow for completion of the construction of the station.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e Rand, Lisa (9 December 2021). "Kirkby to get new train station which will be 'UK first' after plans approved - Liverpool Echo". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Wigan Wallgate to Kirkby line closure". www.northernrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Next Stop: Headbolt Lane – £80m station served by UK's first battery powered trains to open this week". Merseytravel.
- ^ "Headbolt Lane opening on Thursday". 3 October 2023.
- ^ Rudgard, Olivia (5 March 2015). "Two Merseyside lines prioritised for electrification". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 27 November 2015.
- ^ "Place North West | Priority electrification routes sent to Government". Place North West. 6 March 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
- ^ a b c Houghton, Alistair (18 September 2017). "Skelmersdale rail link moves step closer as £5m funding revealed". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Lally, Kate (7 November 2019). "Kirkby will get new train station before the Baltic Triangle". liverpoolecho. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
- ^ Tyrrell, Nick (30 August 2019). "Merseyside set to get two new train stations and replacement ferries". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Kirkby Headbolt Lane station scheme moves a step closer with £3.3m funding secured and CGI images are unveiled | Liverpool City Region Combined Authority - News". 16 July 2020.
- ^ https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/changes-services-announced-ahead-new-27841858
- ^ "Battery breakthrough will see Merseyrail network extended". 21 July 2021.
- ^ Lopez, Jamie (8 July 2022). "Skelmersdale rail station plan rejected in decision branded a 'cruel joke'". LancsLive. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ Thorp, Liam (22 August 2023). "Train station update after construction firm administration notice". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Wigan Wallgate to Kirkby line closure". www.northernrailway.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2023.
- ^ "Next Stop: Headbolt Lane – £80m station served by UK's first battery powered trains to open this week". Merseytravel. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ "Realtime Trains | Departures from Headbolt Lane all day on 05/10/2023". web.archive.org. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
53°29′34″N 2°52′44″W / 53.492835°N 2.878862°W
