COMMUTERS in north Warrington may soon be able to let the train take the strain if plans for a new railway station are approved by council bosses.

Proposals have been made to reopen Kenyon Junction railway station, Wilton Lane, and to build a link road to connect it with the A580 East Lancashire Road. The station was closed in 1961 but the developers hope to give it a new lease on life.

Engineering consultant Richard Galloway says that as well as providing an additional service for residents in Culcheth and the surrounding area, it will also be linked to the new Xanadu Project in Leigh. This high-tech centre will house a wide range of sports and leisure facilities including an indoor snow centre, hotels and cinemas.

He said: "The idea is to build a new, state-of-the-art station which will have two main uses - encouraging people to travel to Xanadu by rail and for commuters who want to get away from using private cars.

"We have had discussions with bus and train operators in the area and the station is likely to have a combination of both a shuttle bus to Xanadu and through bus services."

The link road will be accessible by buses, but barriers will be in place to prevent cars using it as a rat-run.

Residents in Croft, Culcheth and Glazebury have been fighting for improved rail access in their area, though there were rumours that any new station would also include additional housing development.

But both Richard Galloway and a spokesman for Warrington Borough Council said no application had been made in connection with the plans for the station.

Culcheth's ward councillors are in favour of the reopening. Clr Keith Bland said: "It's great to get another facility in this area."

And Clr Les Hoyle added: "I think this will be very good for the community.

"Anything that gets people around is great. It brings us closer to bigger developments and also to jobs and facilities."

There was also support from Brendan O'Friel, Chairman of the Rail Users Consultative Committee for North West England.

He said: "This sounds like an excellent idea. If we are going to tackle the problems of congestion and pollution we have got to make greater use of public transport. Re-opening a station would improve people's choice and be a great boost for passenger transport in Warrington."

Warrington Borough Council is encouraging people to use public transport in a bid to ease the town's traffic congestion.

Assistant Director of Transportation and Engineering Services, Phillip Johnson, said: "With Warrington's Transport Strategy we are looking to promote real alternatives to using private cars. Any new station that provides additional opportunities for the public is an excellent idea."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.