Work begins on £18m Halton Curve
ORK has started on the £18.75m Halton Curve rail upgrade connecting North Wales and Liverpool via Runcorn and Widnes.
Regional leaders marked the occasion by visiting the site on Friday.
It is hoped that upgrading the 1.5 miles of track will boost commuter and tourist connectivity for the Liverpool City Region, Cheshire and North Wales.
Stops will include Helsby, Frodsham, Chester, Runcorn and Liverpool airport with a potential Widnes station mooted as part of the scheme.
Merseytravel, which is managing the scheme, said the upgraded service will start running from December 2018, generating 250,000 extra trips and a £100m boost for the economy.
Trains will run initially at one per hour but demand is forecast to justify increasing that frequency.
Service extensions are also being considered as part of the forthcoming Wales And Borders franchise.
It is hoped that the upgrade will reduce congestion on roads such as the M56 and the A55.
Merseytravel said the upgrade is part of Network Rail’s Great North Rail Project which will invest more than £1bn in the railway across the North.
The Halton Curve is expected to cost no more than £18.75 and is being funded through the Government’s devolution growth deal and the Liverpool City Region.
It is being developed by the Liverpool City Region including Halton Council, as well as Cheshire West And Cheshire Council, the Welsh Government and a consortium of six county authorities in North Wales.
Cedric Green, of the North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group, said: “We have been campaigning for the Halton Curve to be re-instated since way before the Strategic Rail Authority proposed full closure in 2004.
“We, and others, stopped that happening but it was another 10 years before any real progress.
“So we are delighted that work has now started in bringing this short, but vitally important section of the network, back into full operation.
“It is a massive first step in changing the dynamics of the public transport offer in the sub-region and beyond.
“It will assist in harnessing the economic synergy which exists between North and North East Wales and Merseyside and will also assist the development of the tourist market by providing easy access to Liverpool John Lennon Airport via Liverpool South Parkway.”
Steve Rotheram, metro mayor, said: “I welcome the spade being put in the ground on a project that has long been an ambition for many.
“People shouldn’t be constrained in their work or leisure opportunities, as there are so many to be had across our city region, Cheshire and North Wales.
“These can start to be fully realised through this much needed link.
“This isn’t a project in isolation but part of the over-arching vision for connectivity within the Liverpool City Region and the wider North to join up north-south HS2 rail infrastructure with west-east Northern Powerhouse Rail to Liverpool.”