from the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 22nd June
Campaigners will be lobbying for a new railway station in Huddersfield.
A new transport group will be formed on Monday to push for a station to serve Golcar and Milnsbridge.
Clr Paul Salveson, a former senior manager at Northern Rail, has organised the meeting.
“There used to be two stations in the area way back, one for Golcar on Station Road and another one for Milnsbridge near Market Street,” he said.
“The suggestion is that we could have a new station near the Old Railway Goods Yard off Scar Lane, Milnsbridge, which would serve Golcar and Milnsbridge.”
Clr Salveson added that it was crucial for campaigners to put forward their proposal before consultation on Metro’s RailPlan 7 ends on July 2.
“It’s important that the aspiration for a station is recognised in the rail plan,” said the Golcar Labour man.
“That’s the most pressing issue – to put a marker down that people in Golcar and Milnsbridge need a station.”
The proposed new station would be added to the line between Huddersfield and Manchester Victoria. Trains from Scar Lane would take around four minutes to get to the town centre and a similar amount of time to reach Slaithwaite.
Clr Salveson believes a station would benefit Golcar and Milnsbridge.
“During this year’s election campaign quite a few people said they would give their eye teeth to have a railway station in the area,” he said.
“More and more people are working in Manchester, Leeds and Bradford so a rail link would be very good for them.
“A station would bring a bit more vibrancy to the area, particularly to Milnsbridge.”
Clr Salveson added that other villages in the Colne Valley benefited from their stations.
“Slaithwaite and Marsden both feel like they are on the up,” he said.
“Having a station makes a difference to people’s perceptions of an area as a place to live and to visit.”
Clr Salveson has called a public meeting about the issue at Golcar Royal British Legion at 7.30pm on Monday.
The Labour man hopes the new transport campaign group can also push for better bus services in the area.
He said: “The consultation on evening and Sunday bus services finished a couple of months ago but I want to keep on lobbying to make sure the services are protected.
“We need a local campaign to improve bus services.”
I would like to add my support to calls for a Golcar/Milnsbridge station. I recently moved from Golcar to Slaithwaite and I have to say that the availability of a station has made a big difference. Although services from Slaithwaite would benefit from greater frequency particularly during the commuting hours, it is a pleasure to walk and then train it into town rather than drive in. It is also a lot more economical than driving and paying for parking. The ability to go straight to Manchester is also alot more convenient that driving parking and then coming back the same way, past my house adding up to an hour to the journey!
The buses are not really a good alternative to the car as they are expensive, infrequent (ever more so) and not direct – buses as the services currently run are not an incentive to leave the car behind.
Someone needs to be brave and look to the future, invest in the railways as the roads are at breaking point. I was recently working up in Scotland where new and modern commuter stations have been re-opened (e.g. Bathgate) and they are a real benefit to their communities.