Can the St Helens Central to Junction railway line be revived?

Originally built to transport coal and compete with the freight trade along the Sankey Canal, the St Helens and Runcorn Gap Railway opened in 1833 to connect central St Helens with Widnes and Runcorn.

Establishing greater connectivity to neighbouring regions and local stations such as Peasley Cross, Clock Face, and Sutton Oak, public demand ensured that passenger services were also operated on the lines and that a connection was put in place to St Helens Junction, which lay just off the new main line.

An old train on the St Helens to Runcorn Gap Railway line (Image: Richard Mercer)

As St Helens Junction provided connections to Manchester, Liverpool, and Warrington, dozens of daily shuttle trains ran between the two St Helens stations for more than a hundred years.

In order to cut costs and refine national railways, the Beeching Report recommended the route's withdrawal in 1963. The line closed for passengers two years later, although freight still travelled along the route well into the 1980s.

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Revival of St Helens Central and Junction line a 'no brainer'

A map of the old St Helens to Runcorn Gap railway line (Image: Alan Young)

With the potential to provide town centre commuters with much greater connectivity via direct services to Manchester and Warrington, the revival of the disused St Helens Central and Junction line is something that has been touted for decades.

As the two-mile route could help with the decarbonisation of the economy and has been almost untouched since its closure, Paul Wright feels that the revival of the line is something that could eventually come to fruition.

A one-off train taking rugby fans from St Helens to Warrington on the disused line in 1987, and then on to Wembley (Image: Bevan Price)

Mr Wright, who works at Halton Borough Council and is a historic rail enthusiast, said: "Personally, I see the revival of the St Helens to Junction line as a no-brainer.

"It would help with the decarbonisation of the economy by getting more cars off the road. It would create all kinds of opportunities as it's a very useful diversion route, especially if it's electrified.

"It's funny because right from the beginning of the Runcorn line in the 1830s, local people wanted a link between Junction and the centre of St Helens, so there are historical parallels to this day.

"The route itself is protected and in some areas the tracks are still there, so I don't think it would take too much to get it going."

Re-established train line could complement regeneration plans

St Helens Junction provides direct routes to Liverpool and Manchester (Image: St Helens Star)

Aware of the benefits that a St Helens Central and Junction train line would bring to commuters, the council said it is looking into conducting research on the feasibility of its re-establishment.

Acknowledging that the link would complement regeneration plans around St Helens town centre, the council are engaging with the Liverpool City Region to assess whether the line's revival is both realistic and deliverable.

Proposing the idea in 2013, the St Helens Green Party estimated that rebuilding the disused line would cost around £28 million, although the price of this is likely to have significantly increased since then.

Statement from St Helens Council

St Helens Council says that the revived train route could complement the town centre regeneration plans (Image: St Helens Council)

Councillor Andy Bowden, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “The former rail link between St Helens Central and St Helens Town Centre could provide residents with access between homes, jobs and services – one of the key objectives of the Local Plan – and as the Plan sets out, we are protecting it from development for future re-use. 

“We are currently engaging positively with the Liverpool City Region to commission feasibility work around the re-establishment of this transport link, that would identify realistic, deliverable options for bringing it back into use. 

“We are committed, alongside our transport partners and the Liverpool City Region, to providing modern and sustainable transport, as projects like the Newton-le-Willows Rail-Bus Interchange and the ongoing work at Lea Green with the Southern Gateway scheme demonstrate, expanding local transport options for our residents.

The unveiling of the upgraded Newton-le-Willows station in 2019, which provides direct routes to Liverpool and Manchester (Image: St Helens Council)

"Both stations also offer express services to Manchester, improving the borough’s connectivity with the city, the North West and beyond. 

“Reinstating the Junction-Town Centre transport link would complement our ambitious St Helens Town Centre regeneration, and has the potential to deliver direct rail services from the town centre to Manchester City Centre."

St Helens Central would provide greater access with a re-established Junction line (Image: St Helens Star)