Campaign for new Gateacre Railway station

[maddog]

I think it's a great idea. You would have a very hard up-hill struggle with the Trans-Pennine-Trail / dog walking/toilet brigade. It cold be argued that it's not a safe area anyway and crime levels on that long narrow strip of land is way off the scale compared to the adjoining areas. Any of the flight crew on the Merseyside Police Air Support Unit will confirm this. A path along the existing track wouldn't be hard to incorporate. The dogs toilet would be saved!

Probably your biggest obstacle is that massive quango locally known as Merseytravel. This gang of no good free riding idiots are only interested in their own political agendas. Just look at the Merseytram fiasco, putting a tram into Kirkby whilst it's already more than well served by a Merseyrail station and a bus service some areas would die for. An extension from Garston station to Liverpool J.L. Airport should have been the priority. Now, tens of millions of pounds later (which would of paid for the vast majority of the LJLA extension) how much of the tram is laid?

I genuinely wish you the very best of luck.

[andrew]

Someone may have already posted this link somewhere, but here it is anyway - enjoy. Quite a few Liverpool & Wirral locations in the index.

www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/g/gateacre/index.shtml

[riga]

Liverpool and Merseyside had the best transport system in the country better than London.
MPTE all new buses clean trains great staff ,although the Eightie bus had a mind of its own.
Thatcher destroyed the best bus system but slowly things are turning full circle.
I lived for years in Beechings home town he destroyed the railway line there as well caused chaos and loads of cars .
A lot of the cuts were to stop growth and keep small towns and villages safe from expansion.
In the south East of England that actualy worked .
Things need to happen now two years is a long time in politics new government maybe.
You dont actualy think those in London (parliament) actualy think of liverpool.
By the time they fight there way into London on the congested train or from one of thier many homes by car they are finished a few drinks big dinner next fiddle.
Stop voting for solicitors and QCs and get some Business people and engineers into parliament and we will see some investment .
Non local MPs and MEPs is just a waste of time ,all we are lately is a safe seat.
Even the ones that promised LFC fans so much have changed jobs .
If you want something get together and demand it .politicians become boged down .
Try contacting one on any subject.
Liverpool still has a great transport system you dont realy need a car here.
If you want to look at the waste look at Allerton Station or whatever the new name is what a waste of money .no one ever realy used it compared to Garston but that MP for the area thinks its great. What would she know coming from Formby and Crosby.
Living in London well especialy after she spent over seven grand on here Mosseley Hill flat as far as I am aware she flipped it.
There are plenty of great walks I have loads of dogs its a good walk to any of the many spots so dont worry about dog walkers moaning we are the same as you we just spend loads of money on tinned meat and bleach .

[jborrowscale]

I agree - it was a great train from Gateacre. I remember it was a steam train in the 1960's
If it was re-opened, it would take I think a lot of the conjestion from Gateacre to Liverpool.
and would be much quicker Liverpool to Gateacre. Now, we have to get from the city via the 79 and then 174 (which is only every half hour) and is very awkward in having to judge when it gets to the 'fiveways'. We either just miss it and have to wait 30 mins for the next one, that is if it arrives. One can never be sure.It could take up to an hour to get home.
They took the 79A from us, and things have only got worse.
I hate coming home from town these days.
Joan

[paulbrooks]

Hope you get your train service back,I remember the last train pulling out and people stating that they would be back.I left Gateacre in 1981 and you could(if my memory is right) get a range of buses to town,H22,H23,73,73A,79A,C & D. Have they all been discontinued ?

[martinhal]

Just came upon this forum. I suppose I am in two minds on this issue. I am not a Gateacre resident but I have cycled on the Outer Loop Line route several times over the last couple of years and find the southern stretch from Hunts Cross to Broadgreen the most attractive section. I also remember travelling on the old train from Central High Level to Gateacre sometime around 1970 and as someone who is interested in seeing the railways of Merseyside developed, I have often wondered about the potential of reopening all or part of the Loop Line route.

The easiest way to reopen the line would be to relay the section of track from Hunts Cross, although the shortest route to Liverpool City Centre would be via Broadgreen and this would also allow a new station to serve the Childwall area. However, this would be very expensive, requiring a new curve to link the Loop Line to the Lime Street to Broadgreen line.

When the Merseyrail network was extended in the 70s, the idea was to completely reopen the Loop line from Hunts Cross to Aintree and then via the North Mersey Branch to Bootle to form a circular route around the city. Ironically, the most expensive part of this route, the Link Line tunnel beneath the city centre was built.

The problem with the Loop Line was that, though it would enable the reopening of a number of suburban stations throughout East Liverpool, the route would be circuitous resulting in long journey times that would be uncompetitive with buses in many cases. The proposed solution to that was to split the loop into two with the construction of a route from Liverpool Central Station to Broadgreen, via Edge Hill. However, this route would require some new tunnelling, which proved too expensive (it would also require a new six platform underground station under the Rocket Pub at Broadgreen).

The Outer Rail Loop scheme has not been seriously pursued by Merseytravel since the early 1980s but, as far as I am aware, it is still a long term aspiration and the route has been largely safeguarded against development.

I think that waiting for the ORL scheme to be revived may be the wrong way forward for anyone interested in seeing the reopening of Gateacre. The most practical scheme would be to extend the Merseyrail tracks from Hunts Cross, which would give access to Liverpool Central and the interchange at Liverpool South Parkway.

The main drawback would be the fact that the line is now a country park and any rail reopening would certainly involve cutting down a large number of trees even if the footpath and cycle track could be retained (this might be possible as the original line was built to allow expansion to four tracks - alternatively, a reasonable service might be possible with only a single track over the relatively short distance).

Personally, I think these sort of schemes are what a city like Liverpool should be doing and I hope that the campaign gets some results.