ST HELENS has a once-in-a-generation chance to sit at the heart of its own rail network – and attract the investment and jobs that go with it.

That’s the view of St Helens Green Party following a report by Eccleston-based businessman and university lecturer Andrew Brownlow.

He says St Helens must act quickly and decisively to take advantage of changes to the way regional transport is organised.

Liverpool City Region (the local authorities of Merseyside and Halton) has applied to the Government for devolved powers to invest in transport schemes.

Ten rail projects have been proposed, including three for St Helens: l Rebuilding the St Helens Central to St Helens Junction line.

l Building a new station at Carr Mill.

l Creating a ‘transport hub’ at Newton-le-Willows.

Mr Brownlow, St Helens Green Party’s transport spokesman, believes unless local people, St Helens Council and Merseytravel understand the bigger picture and act now, the massive transformation these projects could make might be missed.

He said: “Of the 10 new rail schemes proposed the ones that will rise to the top of the pile are those with the best cost-to-benefit ratio.

“The Liverpool to Kirkby tram scheme, costed at £325 million, has already been rejected and can’t be resubmitted.

“By comparison, the Central-Junction link line and Carr Mill projects combined have been costed at £35 million. For a major transport project, that’s serious bargain basement prices.

“Right now, we can reach just four major destinations directly from St Helens Central: Liverpool, Wigan, Preston and Blackpool.

“But if St Helens gets its act together we could soon be able to get to as many as 10 – and from those, many more.

“The advantages of the link line are obvious: we’d get a train direct to Manchester from Central Station, and a train would run into town from Sutton, Earlestown and Newton.

“But that could be just the appetiser. A station at Carr Mill, with its own bus station and park and ride, would let trains bound for Manchester take traffic off the busy East Lancs, M6 and M62.

“With both of these projects in place, direct services could get to Manchester Airport, Warrington, Crewe, Chester, Southport, perhaps even the Lakes.”

Mr Brownlow added: “A connected St Helens is a St Helens which is open for business.

“Decades of decline and deprivation might be reversed by the work opportunities this makes possible outside of the town.

“But transport works both ways. With such great connections, investment and work should also flow towards us.”

St Helens Green Party is urging local people and businesses to contact St Helens Council, local councillors and Mersey Travel urgently in support of its campaign. People can send their support directly to sthelensgreenparty@gmail.com, and comments will be forwarded.