Businesses have given their backing to proposals to reopen the abandoned train station at Liverpool's Baltic Triangle, with the plans now described as a "very real possibility".
The old St James Station closed in 1917, but the campaign to reopen it has been building pace for the past few years after the Baltic Triangle became a development hotspot - now home to dozens of businesses, bars and nightspots.
This week, the Baltic Triangle Community Interest Company (CIC), which is leading the campaign to reopen the train station, said it would bring "enormous benefits" - and is now a "major priority" for the area's firms.
The city region's Metro Mayor has also given his backing to the proposals, after the Combined Authority Transport Plan (CATP) was published last month.
Liam Kelly, chair of the CIC, told BusinessLive: "When we conducted a survey of Baltic businesses, re-opening the train station came out as a major priority for the Baltic Triangle Area CIC to focus on.
"For the area to continue to grow as a destination for culture, creative and digital activity, we need ambitions such as this to be accelerated. It’s welcome news and we’re looking forward to the next steps."
The station opened in 1874, but closed down in 1917 as a wartime cost-cutting measure - but never reopened.
The old entrances to the station are long gone and the old ticket office in Parliament Street disappeared years ago to be replaced by flats.
Travellers between Brunswick and Liverpool Central stations on the busy Northern Line can still see the wide cutting where St James station once was.
While the Baltic Triangle CIC says "significant improvements" have already been made to transport in the area, including more buses and safer crossings, reopening the station will be "crucial" to optimising the area's infrastructure.
A look around the St James station:
The Baltic Triangle CIC says the station would bring four major benefits: improving accessibility to the area, making it more attractive to visitors, stimulating inward investment and alleviating strain on other transport hubs like Liverpool Central station.
In June, the CATP detailed a range of projects to improve infrastructure in the region, advocating the reopening.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram welcomed the findings, and said: "The potential benefits of bringing St James station back in to use and the boost it could bring to the Baltic Triangle and the wider area have been recognised. That’s why it’s named in the new Combined Authority Transport Plan, as well as featuring in the long-standing Liverpool City Region long term rail strategy.
“Work is ongoing on the potential of a number of proposed new stations, including St James, to fully understand how they can support passenger and economic growth across the City Region. Understanding solutions to the capacity problems we have at Liverpool Central station is also a priority.
“The Combined Authority’s Transforming Cities Fund, which forms part of the Strategic Investment Fund, is the means through which the Combined Authority now co-ordinates investment in sustainable transport schemes across the city. With an estimated build cost of at least £50m, the St James scheme would have to demonstrate that it meets the fund’s criteria, provides good value for money and is deliverable, to be considered alongside or ahead of other proposed schemes.”
Previous estimates by the combined authority suggest rebuilding the station would cost at least £50m
Baltic Triangle area director, Mark Lawler, believes the move would bring more jobs to the area. He said: "[We have] been lobbying for many years to see the reopening of the old St James Station which closed over 100 years ago. The news that Steve Rotheram’s office support our ambitions for the new Baltic Triangle Station is such an important step forward for the area.
“We realise this is a big-ticket item and it will take a few years to materialise, but we’re delighted to get Liverpool City Region support. We all know the reopening of the Station will be a catalyst for huge investment into the area and will massively improve sustainable transport options for local businesses and residents alike.”
