Assembly Member urges Flintshire County Council to bid for new train station on Deeside Industrial Park

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood is urging Flintshire County Council and Arriva Trains Wales to submit a bid for a new station on Deeside Industrial Park.

The Department for Transport has announced that £20 million of funding for new stations will be available across England and Wales.

Mr Isherwood, who has long been emphasising the need for better access to Deeside Industrial Park, has written to both the Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council and Arriva Trains Wales urging them to submit a bid for a new “Deeside Parkway Station”.

A new station on Deeside Industrial Park would enable workers to reach the Deeside Industrial Park by train and provide park and ride facilities with easy access from the A548.

At the moment most people working at the Industrial Park are forced to drive to work on the already heavily congested Deeside road network.

Work opportunities are also not accessible to those who cannot afford to drive or who are unable to drive to work.

The proposed Deeside Parkway station would be approximately five minutes by train from Neston and Shotton and about 35 minutes from Birkenhead or Wrexham.

In his letter Mark Isherwood AM says:

“You will be aware of long standing and evidenced support for a new “Deeside Parkway Station”, including the Mersey Dee Alliance and Wrexham Bidston Rail Users’ Association.

“Please also note in response to my questioning in the Chamber on 13^th July, Ken Skates AM, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure agreed that better rail access is needed to Deeside Industrial Park and stated that: ‘We have been able to identify the fact, that a new station will be required on Deeside Industrial Park as part of an integrated transport network for that specific region.’

“The UK Government has now announced funding for new stations in England and  Wales. This states that ‘Organisations such as local authorities, and train operating companies keen to boost local growth are all being encouraged to submit bids’.

“I would therefore be grateful if you could give this your attention and confirm your intended course of action.”

Mr Isherwood has also submitted a Written Question to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure  asking what action  he will be taking in light of this announced funding by the UK Government.

John Allcock, the Chairman of the The Wrexham-Bidston Rail Users’ Association said:

“The service on the Borderlands Line needs to get people from where they are to where they want to be at the time they wish to be there. The service has to be reliable so people know that they can depend on it.

With the railway passing through the Deeside Industrial Park, one of the major employment sites in the region, Deeside Parkway station makes good sense.

At the moment the large number of people working at the Deeside Industrial Park are forced to drive to work on heavily congested roads and work opportunities are not accessible to those who cannot afford to drive or who are unable to drive to work.

Young people are at a particular disadvantage if they need to drive as the cost of running a car can represent a significant element of their salary which many may not be able to afford.