A new train station in northwest Preston will see better transport links for jobs, business and leisure, according to Lancashire County Council.

The Cottam Parkway Railway Station will be located on the Blackpool to Preston line, serving Lea, Cottam and the surrounding areas.

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The proposals are out for consultation until January 31. A planning application is due for submission in 2022, with a planned opening in 2024 or 2025, depending on approval timescales.

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The new station would deliver journey times of around five minutes to Preston and 20 minutes to Blackpool.

The project aims to:

• Provide access to rail transport options for travel to jobs, business and leisure.
• Reduce congestion into Preston city centre by providing a park and ride facility
• Increase rail access between Preston and other parts of Lancashire, as well as the regional and national network
• Connect directly to the new Preston Western Distributor – a road scheme currently under construction – the new station will have good access to new housing areas and a new junction on the M55.

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A successful bid to the Department for Transport Transforming Cities Fund led to funding, also received as a local contribution and through the Preston, South Ribble and Lancashire City Deal.

The station is known as the Cottam Parkway Railway Station as a working title and could be subject to change.

The station would include a fully-accessible station building with waiting areas, a staffed booking and information office, vending machines and toilets.

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The station building will feature a green roof to encourage wildlife and solar panels, with the whole facility designed to be fully accessible, with a footbridge and lifts that will link the platforms.

To encourage people to use sustainable transport, the plans include a bus stop and a new high-quality pedestrian and cycle link together with secure cycle parking.

The plans include a bus stop and a new high-quality pedestrian and cycle link with secure cycle parking to encourage sustainable transport.

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The facilities will reduce journey times for commuters and traffic and air pollution in the centres of Preston and Blackpool.

Better rail access will help support the delivery of new homes in northwest Preston and provide rail services to a catchment area of around 12,000 homes in areas such as Cottam, Ingol and Lea.

By providing alternative ways to get around, the new station would encourage a shift in journeys to rail, predicted to help to reduce traffic at congestion hotspots on Preston’s road network.

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There will be improved access via the Preston Western Distributor Road (scheduled to open in 2023) to existing and new employment opportunities at the Enterprise Zone at Warton.

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The proposed station will provide more options for people to travel in and around the city via Preston Railway Station, a regional and national hub.

South Fylde and East Lancashire line upgrades in the future will improve journeys between Blackpool, Preston and Blackburn.

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The proposed site for the new station is on land between Lea Road and Sidgreaves Lane, close to the former site of Lea Road station.

The access to the station and a new car park would be north of the railway line.

Pedestrian, cycle and bus access will be created from Lea Road.

The station would be accessed from a new road connected to the Preston Western Distributor Road scheme via the Cottam Link Road. The new access road will be constructed on the west side of Sidgreaves Lane with a new bridge over the Lancaster Canal.

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A segregated cycle track and footpath would be created along a section of the existing Sidgreaves Lane and over the Quaker Bridge.

The cycle track would also link into Preston’s local cycle network on the Preston Western Distributor Road scheme and along Darkinson Lane.

The station would have cycle storage and lighting for cycling and walking journeys.

For more information, visit – https://www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/strategies-policies-plans/roads-parking-and-travel/major-transport-schemes/cottam-railway-station/

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What are your thoughts on the proposal? Let us know in the comments below