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Buckshaw Village railway station delayed AGAIN
Work on a multi-million pound railway station planned for Buckshaw Village has been delayed AGAIN.
Trains were expected to start calling at the state-of-the-art facility in 2004, but after a catalogue of setbacks the opening was pushed back until 2008 and then summer 2011.
Now residents at a packed Buckshaw Village Community Association meeting have been told that they face an even longer wait after new plans had to be submitted to Chorley Council.
The move comes after a shortage in funding meant that the designs for a ticket office had to be scaled back and council chiefs said they could not give a definite date for when it would open, but said it's now likely to be Autumn next year.
Richard Watts, Rail Project manager for Lancashire County Council, said: "Funding for the project is available and so there shouldn't be an issue over the opening date. If we can make it earlier then we will, but it depends if we experience any delays with construction. I'm not going to be over optimistic and give a date that we can't achieve."
Mr Watts said planning permission had already been secured for the 6.8m scheme, that will boast two platforms, waiting shelters, a bridge, lifts and staircase. But they have now had to submit fresh plans after scaling down the ticket office to one instead of two storeys. Caron Taylor from Chorley Council confirmed that they had received the plans earlier this month and said she expected a decision to be made by August.
Chair of the community association, Brian Hann said: "Residents in Buckshaw Village are always concerned as there have been lots of promises about different schemes that have still to come to fruition.
"For me, the railway station will be the final piece in the jigsaw as well as the retail area and it will help make the village sustainable.
"All we ask is that everyone is open and honest with us about any delays and give us a full explanation of the reasons behind them."
Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle said: "I am obviously very disappointed at this news and the fact that the date for the opening of the train station continues to be put back. The extremely long initial delay resulted in a shortfall in funding and after I helped to secure an additional 3.3m from the Community Investment Fund, I had hoped that we finally had the green light for construction. I am sure residents and businesses in Buckshaw Village will share my frustrations and I am keen to work with Network Rail and the local authorities to ensure that progress is made and there are no further delays."
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Weather for Chorley
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: West
