Plans to bring two new stations to the Merseyrail network have taken another step forward today - with an exciting announcement about which station will be built first.
At a meeting of the city region combined authority this afternoon, it was noted the huge £172.5m scheme that will see huge strides in Merseyside's rail, ferry, bus and cycling infrastructure is on course for its March 2023 completion.
The new train stations will be built on Kirkby 's Headbolt Lane and in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle , but one can be expected to open much sooner than the other.
Councillor Liam Robinson, portfolio holder for transport and air quality, said: "Headbolt Lane features on the 1972 Transport Plan, which just shows how long this has been needed.
"[Metro mayor] Steve Rotheram has made it abundantly clear the next new station on the network will be the one at Headbolt Lane and that he wants this built as soon as possible."
Knowsley councillor Linda Mooney called the new station a 'game changer' for the local area. She said: "A lot of time and resource has been spent trying to regenerate [Knowsley] and so this is really welcome by the residents."
This would be a completely new station and form an extension of the Merseyrail network past its current Kirkby terminus, while building St James station in the Baltic Triangle would involve resurrecting an old station which closed in 1917.
The investment will also be used to replace the ageing Mersey ferries and carry out improvements at other trains stations and on the bus network.
There are 18 projects set to be progressed using the money, which aims to make the region's transport network more environmentally sustainable, though each project will have to go through further assessments and potentially receive further funding before being fully approved.
The money will be spent over the next five financial years.
