Protecting a rail link between Southport, West Lancashire and Manchester Piccadilly is “imperative”. an MP has warned.
The direct link, which included stops at Parbold, Burscough and Appley Bridge, Lancashire, moved closer to being cut after a key committee recommended scrapping the service.
Transport for the North’s Manchester Recovery Task Force (MRTF) has proposed getting rid of the hourly service despite strong opposition from Southport residents and politicians.
That proposal has faced widespread opposition from local campaigners and politicians and comes a few short years after they won a battle to reinstate the service from a previous axing.
Amid ongoing concerns at the outcome of the Manchester Recovery Task Force, West Lancashire MP Rosie Cooper wrote to key stakeholders at Transport for the North and the Department for Transport, urging that West Lancashire be spared cuts to its services.
Ms Cooper said: “It is unbelievable that the government would consider a proposal to further restrict rail services in West Lancashire. Cutting this route would cut off convenient access to the south of Manchester, including to Manchester Airport.
“Residents were given three options to choose between in this consultation, but for those in West Lancs it was a sham – as all three options included the axing of the Southport-Piccadilly service.
“I have written urgently to Richard George, chair of OLR Holdings Ltd, who has been asked by Transport for the North to review the current proposals. It is imperative that he recognise the concerns of West Lancashire residents and preserve this important route.”
Article originally appeared on In Your Area
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