HOURLY trains from Frodsham and Helsby to both Liverpool and Chester could become a reality from May 2018 – the forecast date for the re-opening of the Halton Curve.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has given its backing to the £10.4 million project and work to re-signal and renovate the single line track could start in June next year.
Weaver Vale MP Graham Evans has welcome the news as “a huge boost” to the region’s economy.
He said: “I’ve been campaigning for the re-opening of the Halton Curve line as I believe that it’s a cost effective way of connecting Halton, Cheshire, and North Wales together.
“It’ll provide a huge boost to the local economy and will make Weaver Vale an even better place to live, work and invest in.
“This good news means we could see direct trains from Frodsham and Helsby to Liverpool as soon as May 2018.
The Halton Curve has been closed to regular passenger services for more than 40 years.
But it has been kept alive thanks to the running of an annual “Parliamentary train” which carried local councillors and rail campaigners to Liverpool.
There are concerns, however, that the re-opening of the line could result in increased parking problems in Frodsham as a result of commuters leaving their cars in the town while they travel to Liverpool by train.
Traders have warned that shoppers’ parking spaces could be taken up by people who leave their cars in Frodsham all day.
Frodsham Railway Station
Hourly rail services could arrive in two years
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