A campaign for electric trains between Morecambe and Heysham - and to add extra platforms on the route to support the Eden Project - has taken a step forward.
It has been announced this week that a planned bid for £50,000 of grant money, if successful, will pay for a study to see if the idea is feasible.
The study will look at the feasibility of introducing a regular frequent zero carbon shuttle train service between Heysham and Morecambe and the potential of a future Park and Ride facility and new platform connecting to the planned Eden Project.
It will also look at whether extra platforms can be included along the route.
The study will also look at the role of energy storage battery at Morecambe which provides for connection to the future SLES (Smart Local Energy System) as well as providing power for the train proposal.
A SLES is a way to bring together different energy assets in a local area and make them operate in a smarter way.
The bid is being prepared by the North-West Net Zero Hub - a government-funded cluster promoting investment in energy projects.
Lancaster City Council would be the accountable body for the money which would come from SPARK - a grant programme supporting schemes with significant net zero benefits.
Councillor Colin Hartley, a Labour councillor for Heysham South (below), speaking on Wednesday at the Lancaster City Council meeting held at Morecambe Town Hall, asked if the council's role in the bid had been signed off.
Councillor Gina Dowding, Green cabinet member for climate action (below), said: "I can confirm that I signed it off, literally outside before we started the meeting.
"It is very exciting, it's about battery run trains, and battery storage system for Morecambe, around the station so yes, let's hope we're successful.
"Obviously (more train stops) would be ideal, but let's not forget that the infrastructure for building more train stations adds enormously to the cost.
"It's one thing to create an electrified line, it's another to create more stops along the line. But yes, fingers crossed."
Last March, the council officially agreed to lobby for four new railway stations/stopping points to be built in Morecambe and Heysham to serve visitors to the planned new Eden Project.
These would be between Oxcliffe Road and Mossgate Park in Heysham, in Westgate near to the football stadium and in Morecambe at York Bridge.
The council is also calling for a new station with an adjacent ‘park and ride’ car park at the end of the bypass near the Trumacar roundabout in Heysham - on land already owned by the city and county councils.
They are also calling for other improvements to the railway service to benefit visitors to the new Eden Project Morecambe - including electrification of the Lancaster-Morecambe-Heysham service.
During a meeting at Morecambe Town Hall in March 2024, city councillors voted to "make the case to the appropriate bodies and organisations at every available opportunity" for these new railway stations in Morecambe and Heysham.
Read more: Council will lobby for four new railway stations in Morecambe and Heysham - Beyond Radio
They also called for all political parties to work towards delivering an improved rail service for the residents of Morecambe and Heysham as well as for visitors to Eden and users of Heysham Port.
This came after a motion was brought before full council by a cross-party group of 15 councillors - Catherine Potter, Joanne Ainscough, Catherine Armistead, Matthew Black, Phillip Bradley, Claire Cozler, John Hanson, Prof Chris Harris, Colin Hartley, Margaret Pattison, Susan Penney and David Whitaker, Roger Cleet, Paul Hart and John Livermore.
Councillor Catherine Potter, also a Labour councillor for Heysham South, speaking this week, said: “Before moving to Heysham I used to live in Bare – a six-minute hop by train to Lancaster – and I almost never used my car.
"In Heysham, a similar three miles from Lancaster, where over 16,000 people live, our only public transport option is the bus, which takes the best part of 45 minutes – I use my car for most journeys and I am sure it is the same for most other residents of Heysham.
"I would like to see new railway services and platforms for the residents of Heysham and Westgate, also serving Morecambe FC Football Stadium. With the arrival of Eden, we need to ensure visitors and locals can arrive in a stress-free way on low carbon public transport, and this feasibility study is a fantastic first step to achieving that goal.”
The Eden Project Morecambe is a planned £100m visitor attraction to be built on Morecambe Promenade, currently scheduled to open in 2028.
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