Post by Garston Interchange on Dec 19, 2003 6:54:31 GMT -5
WORK will start next month on a long-awaited £11m transport hub in south Liverpool after the Government agreed to meet more than half the cost.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced a £6.3m grant to the South Parkway Interchange, which will get a new railway station, bus inter-change and park-and-ride car park.
Shuttle buses to John Lennon Airport will run every 10 minutes, with Garston station moved 300 metres to link it to Allerton station.
But the annual local transport settlement brought less good news for the proposed second Mersey bridge at Runcorn, where a decision has been delayed until next year.
Mr Darling has demanded meetings with Halton transport chiefs to thrash out concerns over both the environmental impact of the scheme and its funding.
It is hoped the South Parkway Interchange, on the former South Liverpool Football Club site, will take 26pc of traffic off local roads, by linking local and national rail services. More than five years in the planning, it is also being funded through Objective 1 cash from Brussels, Network Rail and airport owners Peel Holdings.
The scheme will link cross-country rail services with local Northern Line Merseyrail trains and is only a mile from the everexpanding airport.
Neil Scales, Merseytravel chief executive, said local approval for the interchange had already been won, which meant work could start as early as next month.
He said: "The Government's approval is a massive boost to the region and will provide vital links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Speke Garston area." Supporters of the 1.7 mile-long Runcorn bridge claim it is needed to ease congestion and should be completed by Liverpool's Capital of Culture year in 2008.
It was also announced that Cheshire will receive £22.7m, Warrington £7.1m and Halton £6.2m, including £1.6m for the Silver Jubilee bridge.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced a £6.3m grant to the South Parkway Interchange, which will get a new railway station, bus inter-change and park-and-ride car park.
Shuttle buses to John Lennon Airport will run every 10 minutes, with Garston station moved 300 metres to link it to Allerton station.
But the annual local transport settlement brought less good news for the proposed second Mersey bridge at Runcorn, where a decision has been delayed until next year.
Mr Darling has demanded meetings with Halton transport chiefs to thrash out concerns over both the environmental impact of the scheme and its funding.
It is hoped the South Parkway Interchange, on the former South Liverpool Football Club site, will take 26pc of traffic off local roads, by linking local and national rail services. More than five years in the planning, it is also being funded through Objective 1 cash from Brussels, Network Rail and airport owners Peel Holdings.
The scheme will link cross-country rail services with local Northern Line Merseyrail trains and is only a mile from the everexpanding airport.
Neil Scales, Merseytravel chief executive, said local approval for the interchange had already been won, which meant work could start as early as next month.
He said: "The Government's approval is a massive boost to the region and will provide vital links to Liverpool John Lennon Airport and the Speke Garston area." Supporters of the 1.7 mile-long Runcorn bridge claim it is needed to ease congestion and should be completed by Liverpool's Capital of Culture year in 2008.
It was also announced that Cheshire will receive £22.7m, Warrington £7.1m and Halton £6.2m, including £1.6m for the Silver Jubilee bridge.
