A SIX-week public consultation is now live for people to have their say on ambitious plans for a new railway station near east Warrington.

The station in question is proposed for Golborne close to Culcheth, Glazebury and Lowton.

The public consultation will run until midnight on February 15, and it was launched at a public meeting on Thursday by mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, MP for Leigh James Grundy and ward councillors.

Golborne, which sits on the border of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, had a station that closed fully in 1967, and the old platforms can still be seen today.

With no direct bus, train or tram services to Manchester, Golborne could see big regeneration benefits if a flagship station was to open.

Mr Grundy previously said he was under the impression that with Golborne well on the way, this could open up the idea of getting another station which would serve Leigh at Kenyon Junction.

The station, off Kenyon Lane near Culcheth, was closed in 1963, with hopes it would return dashed due to local opposition in the 00s.

Now, with optimism around Golborne station, talks have hotted up when it comes to Kenyon Junction.

This would run as an additional station on the Manchester-Liverpool line as the next station along from Newton-le-Willows.

A new computer-generated flythrough of what a new Golborne station might look like has now been released.

The consultation will gather views on the proposed station facilities and links to the area. It will also gather information from respondents about people’s potential future use of the station.

Mr Burnham said: “We want to transform how people travel across Greater Manchester and give them more choice through the Bee Network.

“Reconnecting Golborne to the railway will significantly improve public transport connectivity for people in the town, but also in places like Lowton and Leigh, as well as the broader borough of Wigan.

“The station is also a key step forward in our ambitions for local rail to be part of the Bee Network by 2030.

“We want to deliver a station that people in Golborne are proud of, so it is important that everyone has their say and helps shape the plans.”

Leader of Wigan Council, Cllr David Molyneux MBE, added: “This is an exciting time for Golborne rail station, and I would really encourage everyone to take a look at the plans and have their say in this consultation.

“We fully support the reopening of the station, and it is really important that we can develop the best scheme possible with better transport links and improved walking and cycling infrastructure, as part of the wider Bee Network.”

Following the public consultation, views and feedback will be considered on the station proposals, before a final business case is submitted to the Government.

Have your say by visiting participate.wigan.gov.uk/en-GB/Projects/golborne-rail-station

Physical copies of the consultation will be available at a series of drop-in sessions, by emailing hello@beenetwork.com or calling 0161 244 1000.

Public drop-in sessions will be held at:

• Golborne Library on Wednesday 10 January between 10am – 1pm

• Golborne Sports and Social Club on Wednesday 24 January between 1.30pm – 4.30pm

• Parkside Sports and Community Club on Thursday 8 February between 6pm – 9pm