Is Greater Manchester about to get its first new railway station for 25 years?

The first new train station in Greater Manchester for 25 years looks a step closer with the city region’s combined authority (GMCA) poised to compulsorily buy land for its £32m development at Golborne in Wigan.

GMCA wants to buy land where four residential properties, two primary schools and a commercial property currently sit in order to site the new station off Railway Road.

Golbourne Station

A report to the authority, which meets next week (Friday, September 27), is recommending the submission of a planning application for the scheme alongside the preparation of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the required land.

But it adds: “The use of CPO must be as a last resort. An acquiring authority must be able to demonstrate that they have done all they can to acquire the land by negotiation.”

And it says ‘discussions with affected landowners are progressing well’. “Face to face engagement was undertaken with affected property owners in December 2023 and ongoing dialogue has continued to ensure they remain engaged and informed about the project,” the report said.

The report goes on: “A new station for Greater Manchester in Golborne presents an opportunity to create new local connectivity and give people an easier choice to catch a train rather than rely on a car; this is particularly important for the quarter of households in Greater Manchester without any access to a private vehicle.”

It said the new station will help Golborn and surrounding communities and make them better places to live.

93% support for the plans

Nearly 3,000 people responded to the public consultation for the station, with more than 93 per cent supporting the plans.

The £32m needed to build the station was approved in 2021 thanks to funding from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) which includes wider enhancements to Golborne town centre.

Meanwhile, in February 2023, Transport for Greater Manchester made key decision to locate the new Golborne station on the fast West Coast Main Line.

A Transport for Greater Manchester spokesperson said: “We are working with Wigan council and GMCA to deliver a new rail station in Golborne, which will provide a key public transport link for people in the town and the broader borough of Wigan.

“To deliver the station, which would be the first to be built in Greater Manchester in more than 20 years, and wider transport improvements in the town as part of the Bee Network, we’re in negotiations with a small number of landowners who we may need to acquire some land from temporarily or permanently.

“Every attempt will be made to buy any land by agreement with the land owners as we look to deliver rail services to Golborne for the first time in over 60 years.”

The last new station to be built in Greater Manchester was Horwich Parkway in the shadow of the Bolton Wanderers football ground.

You can find out more about the potential new railway station at Golborne by clicking here