A RAILWAY station that has been discussed for decades could see the first Merseyrail trains travelling through St Helens if the proposals are realised.
As part of his pre-election pledge, metro mayor of Liverpool City Region (LCR) Steve Rotheram confirmed that a new station at Carr Mill would be part of his commitment to improve the region's transport infrastructure if re-elected.
The plans for a Carr Mill transport hub have been spoken about numerous times since the area lost its previous station in 1917, although this seems a more thorough commitment to have Merseyrail trains servicing the proposed network.
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When could we see a Carr Mill station?
Although the Carr Mill project is a pre-election promise, the LCR has confirmed that this will be adopted into its Corporate Plan if Mr Rotheram is re-elected in May.
If Mr Rotheram is elected as mayor for a third term, his pledge is to begin work to construct a station at Carr Mill by the end of the decade.
Work to construct the new station would be undertaken in partnership between the Liverpool City Region and St Helens Council, with previous estimates suggesting that the delivery of a new station would cost around £14-16m.
Where would the station be located?
As the Liverpool to St Helens Central railway line runs through the Carr Mill area, a new station would be located on this network between St Helens Central and Garswood.
A business plan put forward by St Helens Council in December highlighted that the most likely place for a new station would be near where the old station was situated, between Laffak Road and Woodlands Road.
How would Merseyrail trains connect to the network?
As part of Mr Rotheram's manifesto commitment, he and the LCR have said that a new Carr Mill station would be the first in St Helens to be serviced by Merseyrail trains.
When asked for more details on this, the LCR said that it "can’t confirm any decisions around infrastructure as this would need to be scoped out by the rail team post-election", adding that "more details would become available if Mayor Rotheram is re-elected in May".
However, as the new station would lie on the Liverpool to St Helens Central line, it would appear more likely that Merseyrail trains would appear on this line, which is currently serviced by Northern.
The other option would be a costly endeavour of creating new lines to link up to the current Merseyrail network.
Mr Rotheram has been vocal about his ambitions to revolutionise the region’s rail network with a London-style system since his election in 2017, aiming to make it faster, cheaper, cleaner, and easier to travel around the region.
This has been seen with the mayor's decision to bring buses back into public control, so there could be Merseyrail trains running on St Helens tracks in years to come.
What are the benefits of a new station?
Mr Rotheram and the LCR said that a new station in Carr Mill would "bring communities in St Helens closer to opportunities across the rest of the Liverpool City Region and vice versa".
The LCR also said that the station could utilise Merseyrail's new battery-powered trains, which would "remove the need for a live third rail" and is much better for the environment.
St Helens Council has also suggested that there is a "compelling strategic case" for a new station in Carr Mill, that would vastly improve the area's transport connectivity and accessibility.
The council has said that the delivery of a new station has the "potential to generate high levels of rail patronage, improve access to housing, and increase the number of journeys taken by sustainable travel", therefore reducing car dependency and improving air quality.
Initial forecasts have suggested that there could be 200,000+ annual passenger trips to and from Carr Mill by the early 2030s.
There is also the potential regeneration of nearby brownfield land previously used for retail and as a petrol station, helping to tackle the current housing shortage and increase footfall for businesses in the area.
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