Transport difficulties affecting residents living in Ellesmere Port and Neston highlighted in Parliament.

Justin Madders used a Westminster Hall debate on ‘Transport Connectivity: Merseyside’ to draw attention to a raft of road and rail issues affecting his constituents.

Andrew Stephenson MP, Minister of State for Transport, has since written back with comments on many of the problems highlighted.

Mr Madders began: “Although my constituency is in Cheshire, we are very much in the hinterland of Merseyside. We are less than 10 miles away from Liverpool city centre and our economic, educational, cultural and family connections mean there are many people travelling across Merseyside on a daily basis.

“Sadly it seems we are an afterthought, suffering poorer services and higher costs.”

The MP raised five separate policy platforms:

• Costs for drivers crossing the River Mersey
• Timetable issues for passengers on the Wrexham to Bidston rail line
• The absence of a train station at Ledsham
• School transport costs for pupils travelling to Wirral schools, and  
• Ticket costs for passengers travelling from stations in Ellesmere Port.

Referring to drivers crossing the River Mersey, Mr Madders said the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, ex-MP George Osborne, promised Ellesmere Port and Neston constituents nearly seven years ago that they would not have to pay a fee to cross the Mersey Gateway Bridge at Runcorn. “Will the Minister tell us when that promise will be kept?” he asked.

Mr Stephenson replied: “In January 2017 Ministers announced that the Government had decided not to extend free tolling on the Mersey Gateway Bridge project to residents of councils beyond Halton [Runcorn and Widnes] as the costs to the Government and local authorities would be substantial.”

Turning to an issue affecting Neston area commuters, Mr Madders pointed out: “…the Wrexham to Bidston line is operating a reduced service due to short staffing. The current service runs once every two hours, which hopefully will be put right shortly, but it seems extraordinary to me that the 7.10am and the 9.10am train have survived, but the 8.10am train has been cancelled. Surely, as the peak morning service, this is the last journey that should be cut.

“Ultimately passengers on this line need an end to the need to change at Bidston and to get the direct line to Liverpool installed. That would deliver the true connectivity that we need in Neston.”

In response, Transport for Wales chief executive James Price has replied: “All services on the Wrexham to Bidston line, removed with the emergency timetable, are planned to be reinstated on March 5, 2022.”

And the Minister has responded: “The Wrexham to Bidston line will receive £2.6 million of funding from the Rail Networks Enhancements Pipeline. This funding provides for the development of solutions in support of Transport for Wales’ aspiration to double the service frequency on the route during 2022.”

Mr Madders also drew attention to a 20-year campaign for a station at Ledsham which was submitted to the Railway Renewal Fund. It was rejected but the overall Department for Transport comment was that it was “a strong proposal with a well-articulated narrative on how the project could unlock growth opportunities in the area”.

He told the Minister: “It puzzles me somewhat that the application was rejected. The suspicion that we have seen in other areas is that decisions are being made on a party-political basis and not on the merits of the application.

“Will the Minister advise when there will be an opportunity to submit a further application? The problems that that station would solve are only going to increase.”

Minister Andrew Stephenson responded: “We received the bid to re-open Ledsham Station as part of the third round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund, which provides development funding for early-stage ideas to reopen lines and stations.

“The Chancellor announced the outcomes of the third round as part of the autumn budget and…unfortunately the bid was not successful. This is the last and final round of the Ideas Fund for the foreseeable future.”

Mr Madders also highlighted increasing costs for pupils travelling from Ellesmere Port and Neston to schools in Wirral. “Driver shortages and increased fuel costs mean that some services are being pulled altogether, or only offered on a termly basis, at a price that few can afford,” he said.

“As the schools are outside the catchment area there is no financial support available.

“I acknowledge this will not be a priority for local authorities, with their stretched funds, but I know this is not an isolated example and the pattern is being repeated across the country.”

Mr Stephenson replied: “This would be a matter for local authorities to work with operators to ensure that necessary services are available. “

On rail ticket prices, Mr Madders said: “The cost of a ticket into Liverpool from Little Sutton is 30 per cent more expensive than from a station just two stops further down the line, and three times as much as it would cost for a similar journey in London. I do not understand why those price differentials exist.

“My constituents in Ellesmere Port…already have a half-hourly service to Liverpool, although the price of tickets is an issue. We all know the cost of rail travel is going up…but we seem to be paying more than others.”

Pictured - Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders.