Funding secured for long-delayed railway station

A long-planned railway station serving a growing community on the western edge of Preston has moved a step closer to becoming a reality after funding for the project was finally secured.

Lancashire's Combined County Authority (LCCA) has approved £28.2m towards the construction of Cottam Parkway, a new station on the line between Preston and Blackpool.

The money plugs a funding gap that had threatened the future of the scheme, which was first proposed more than a decade ago.

The station will be built on land between Lea Road and Sidgreaves Lane in Lea and is intended to serve the expanding Cottam and North West Preston areas.

Work is expected to begin next year, with the first passenger services expectee to call at the station in December 2030, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has learned.

When it opens, passengers could reach Preston in around five minutes and Blackpool in about 20 minutes. The station will also provide direct rail links to Manchester.

The LCCA has now agreed the funding taking the total budget for the project to £56.6m.

The government announced last year that it would contribute £28.4m towards the development, subject to approval of a business case. However, rising costs had pushed the overall price of the scheme to more than £55m, leaving a significant shortfall.

The latest funding allocation means the project can now progress, with Lancashire County Council set to deliver the station on behalf of the combined authority.

Cllr Phil Riley, chairman of the LCCA's transport advisory board and leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, described the decision as a "really significant development".

In a statement, he said the station had the potential to transform rail connectivity for thousands of residents, support new housing and jobs, and help drive economic growth across Preston and Central Lancashire.

Around 17,000 people are expected to live within the station's catchment area when it opens, with forecasts suggesting about 644,000 rail journeys each year will start or end there.

Plans for the site include two platforms capable of accommodating eight-carriage trains, a station building with waiting facilities, lifts and a footbridge, a 250-space car park and bus connections.

The scheme was first proposed as part of Lancashire County Council's Central Lancashire Highways and Transport Masterplan in 2013.

Planning permission was granted in 2023 and most of the land required for the development is now in public ownership.

The project is designed to support more than 6,000 homes planned for Cottam and North West Preston over the coming years, providing a new public transport option for one of the area's fastest-growing communities.

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