TRANSPORT Minister Rosie Winterton MP will today open the new £6m St Helens Central Station.
The Pilkington glass-fronted “signature building” has been designed to complement the neighbouring George Street conservation area and blend in with its surroundings.
The minister, who will be given a conducted tour of the new gateway and unveil a plaque to commemorate the opening, said: “This station is a fantastic architectural addition to St Helens, as well as an improvement to local transport.
“The new facilities and better customer information will vastly improve passengers’ experiences of using the station. When the park and ride is added, St Helens Central will be part of a truly integrated local transport network. I’m confident it will benefit residents and visitors alike.”
Cllr Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, added: “It provides a truly impressive gateway to the town and will greatly improve transport services for people in St Helens.”
The station includes a new booking and ticket office, new lifts, a footbridge for improved access, cycle parking, digital CCTV and new customer information systems.
A 120-space park and ride, including dedicated bays for blue badge holders, is being built on the site of the former station building and is due for completion early in the New Year. Funding for the development has come from Merseytravel, the Department for Transport through its Access for All fund, St Helens Together and the Objective 1 programme and the work has been project managed by Network Rail on behalf of Merseytravel.
Northern Rail, St Helens Council, and English Partnerships have also supported the transformation.
Neil Scales, chief executive and director general of Merseytravel, said: “We have already made improvements to the town’s bus station and introduced new bus services linking areas of high unemployment with employment zones and training centres.”
The new station is the sixth since the railways arrived in the 1830s. The gateposts from the old wall at the front of the station, built in the late 19th Century, have been retained and will also be incorporated into the scheme.
lizawilliams
