John Pugh is warning that despite all the recent talk about restoring the Burscough Curves, the odds are against it.


In a brutally frank short video he has outlined on social media the reason why restoring the Curves may end up in the too-hard-to-do category despite its benefits and despite its relatively modest cost.


He gives three major reasons


(1) there simply is not enough money around (£500m) to do all but a few Beeching restorations around the country and many competing priorities -including the massively expensive plan to restore rail links to Skelmersdale and provide a new station


(2) unlike other projects the Curves needs to have the support of a whole range of public bodies as the scheme effects Lancashire, Merseyside and Manchester


(3) cross-boundary projects are complex and are not necessarily backed with equal enthusiasm by all the Transport Authorities effected.


He describes any attempt to get all interested parties together as like' knitting fog’.


“It's very hard to get all the ducks lined up, “ he says . “And it will need a very strong signal from the government to bring things together. I am by nature an optimist but we all need to recognise that restoring the Curves will be a hard project to pull off. At the moment the government seem to think links to Skelmersdale are more important than links to Southport."


Cllr.Pugh’s views can be found here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18LdhEzXjJHQhnj2B0rezKM6u8gmaaU42/view?usp=sharing


ENDS


07717-641-012









Attachments area

Originally Posted by roving-eye

John Pugh is warning that despite all the recent talk about restoring the Burscough Curves, the odds are against it.


In a brutally frank short video he has outlined on social media the reason why restoring the Curves may end up in the too-hard-to-do category despite its benefits and despite its relatively modest cost.


He gives three major reasons


(1) there simply is not enough money around (£500m) to do all but a few Beeching restorations around the country and many competing priorities -including the massively expensive plan to restore rail links to Skelmersdale and provide a new station


(2) unlike other projects the Curves needs to have the support of a whole range of public bodies as the scheme effects Lancashire, Merseyside and Manchester


(3) cross-boundary projects are complex and are not necessarily backed with equal enthusiasm by all the Transport Authorities effected.


He describes any attempt to get all interested parties together as like' knitting fog’.


“It's very hard to get all the ducks lined up, “ he says . “And it will need a very strong signal from the government to bring things together. I am by nature an optimist but we all need to recognise that restoring the Curves will be a hard project to pull off. At the moment the government seem to think links to Skelmersdale are more important than links to Southport."


Cllr.Pugh’s views can be found here.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18LdhEzXjJHQhnj2B0rezKM6u8gmaaU42/view?usp=sharing


ENDS


07717-641-012









Attachments area

So it's the old trick: Drum up interest for something unlikely; then blame the Government when it does not happen.

Millsey

Isn't the Ormskirk to Preston line a single track anyway?
So if the Burscough curves were restored there'd only be a very limited service between Southport and Preston as you couldn't have trains travelling in the opposite direction at the same time.

Originally Posted by roving-eye

John Pugh is warning that despite all the recent talk about restoring the Burscough Curves, the odds are against it.

He’s the one who’s been doing all the talk of it,

https://www.qlocal.co.uk/southport/n...s-55047305.htm

https://www.qlocal.co.uk/ormskirk/ne..._-55047248.htm

but I can agree with him, the odds of his Lib Dem’s achieving anything for Southport are incredibly low, if they were to have done something by now they’d have achieved it. Feels like another press release in the fight to try still be relevant as he’s seems to have had a few stories calling for stuff and now he seems to have given up by saying it’s too hard himself and buck the trend by complaining about money spent in Skem rather than Bootle this time.

Originally Posted by salus.populi

Isn't the Ormskirk to Preston line a single track anyway?
So if the Burscough curves were restored there'd only be a very limited service between Southport and Preston as you couldn't have trains travelling in the opposite direction at the same time.

YES, it is only single track, a link to Liverpool via Ormskirk is pointless and would put the Ormskirk Preston link under threat by taking passengers away, similarly a Southport Preston link would also have the same effect. The only sensible solutions would be to route one or both lines to a shared interchange with buses and electrify Ormskirk to Burscough or to rebuild the old Southport to Preston as much as possible to pick up Banks, Tarleton etc which are expanding communities.

southports been written off! itwill be another /wick on sea.that is if the last nail in coffin hasnt been hammerd in during the next quarter.sad but true.

Dukes ward Cllr. Pugh

Our esteemed Councillor and former MP has been unable to drum-up support in Southport for the Burscough curves for many years now. Why might that be? Notwithstanding Cllr. Pugh's recurring boosterism, most Southport residents and evidently, business movers and shakers have felt no urgency for a rail connection to either Preston or Ormskirk /Maghull.

Cllr. Pugh and his Liberal Democratic colleagues have campaigned to extract our town from Sefton Council, promoting among some voters a nostalgic (or is it backward-looking?) hankering after independent status for Southport when integrated Council planning and enhanced co-operation is a requirement for future prosperity. With this current plea for backing for the reinstatement of the Burscough curves, Cllr. Pugh's hopes appear to be fading, not least owing to disparate priorities among the agencies whose support is needed.

as ye sow, so shall ye reap

Originally Posted by sandGroundZero

Dukes ward Cllr. Pugh

Our esteemed Councillor and former MP has been unable to drum-up support in Southport for the Burscough curves for many years now. Why might that be? Notwithstanding Cllr. Pugh's recurring boosterism, most Southport residents and evidently, business movers and shakers have felt no urgency for a rail connection to either Preston or Ormskirk /Maghull.

Cllr. Pugh and his Liberal Democratic colleagues have campaigned to extract our town from Sefton Council, promoting among some voters a nostalgic (or is it backward-looking?) hankering after independent status for Southport when integrated Council planning and enhanced co-operation is a requirement for future prosperity. With this current plea for backing for the reinstatement of the Burscough curves, Cllr. Pugh's hopes appear to be fading, not least owing to disparate priorities among the agencies whose support is needed.

as ye sow, so shall ye reap

LOL Dont think you are a Sandgrounder. There is the scent of change in the wind. Not from this turkey, but something messed up by a party is coming back for a re-cut. Lets wait and see.

I think some people need to find the West Lanc's Railway Southport to Preston line track bed even only as far as Banks and try and walk it you will get as far as Hawkshead St Junc. then it is built on/bridges removed etc etc . There is more chance of walking to the moon than even reopening parts of it. There are little stretches of perhaps a couple of hundred yards but that is all.

Originally Posted by Little Londoner

I think some people need to find the West Lanc's Railway Southport to Preston line track bed even only as far as Banks and try and walk it you will get as far as Hawkshead St Junc. then it is built on/bridges removed etc etc . There is more chance of walking to the moon than even reopening parts of it. There are little stretches of perhaps a couple of hundred yards but that is all.

Too true Londoner,chances of this opening up again are impossible. Only way to Preston from Southport missing out a change a Wigan are reinstated Burscough curves and they've as much chance as the "lettuce line" of being recommissioned