UK town that waited 67 years for a train station – and still doesn't have one
The residents of one UK town have been waiting 67 years for a train - ever since planners demolisher their station in 1968.
The West Lancashire town of Skelmersdal had its rail service cut when town planners tore up the rails in 1956 then in 1968 the railway station was demolished altogether.
The station, which had carried passengers from 1858 to 1956, was originally named Blague Gate and had its name changed to Skelmersdale in 1874. The demolition of the railway station left Skelmersdale - known locally as Skem - as one of the UK’s largest towns without one.
There has been a longstanding campaign to get a new station for the town - and although progress has been slow, the vision for the line is definitely there, with Labour leader Keir Starmer recently committing to "get on" with such projects if elected, The Express reports.
Although it may not have any trains, the town does have good like to the M58 motorway from Wigan and the nearby M6 motorway to Liverpool, making getting around by road quick and easy.
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This is thanks to a massive redesign in the 1960s, with planners constructing a wave of new town, which includes the modern day town centre. The plans for the new town focussed on nature and compact housing - meanwhile the historical part of the town is ancient, the first record of the town is in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Part of the 1960s new town, Birch Green in Skelmersdale, Lancashire (Getty Images)However the economic downturn of the 1970s impacted the small mining town badly and Skem was left to suffer with minimal employment and rising crime and poverty. However, in recent years things have picked up. In 2012 a new £20m vision for the town was revealed and this work is being led by regeneration specialists St Modwen with West Lancashire Council and the Homes and Communities Agency.
These days the area is closer to realising the vision of the 60s town planners who built much of Skem, with thriving industrial estates and busy shopping areas surrounded by wooded valleys and wide green open spaces. The town also boasts some of the region’s “friendliest” residents, according to local estate agents Your Move. Manager Julie Peel said: "Skelmersdale is one of the friendliest parts of West Lancashire.
“The people here are welcoming and the location is ideal for a variety of trips to the seaside including Southport, Crosby, Formby, and Ainsdale all of which are only a short drive away.
“The hills and walkways of the Pennines are a short drive and the M6 and M58 motorway links to the rest of the North West are just minutes away.”
She added: “We have a variety of busy towns nearby to visit to eat out and shop, including Liverpool, Ormskirk, Manchester, Wigan and Southport and yet can still enjoy the peace and quiet of the area".
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