TRADERS have called for SIX new railway stations to be built instead of the controversial guided busway.

Now they have called on chief planning officer John Sloane to back the proposals to re-open the former Leigh rail link. The ideas will be looked at in a council review of railway station petential.

The £100 million scheme, exclusively revealed to The Journal, has been drawn up by Tyldesley and District Chamber of Trade and is also supported by Leigh Business Partnership.

If the ambitious project got off the ground, it would see park and ride stations at

Kenyon (already subject to a public inquiry).

Glazebury, opposite the Chat Moss Hotel.

Alongside the multi-million Xanadu snowdome project at Pennington.

BICC, using land where factory units have been demolished.

Tyldesley, on the town's original station site.

Mosley Common, off Lower New Row.

Mike Norris from Tyldesley Chamber of Trade, acknowledges the TCT has not had much influence in recent years but are now "on the offensive to reach our aims".

Opposition to the busway is based on their need to restore a rail link and a belief that the busway would not be financially viable.

"The fact that the bus depots at Leigh, Atherton, Swinton, Pendleton and Weaste (a fleet of over 2,000 vehicles) on the north side of Manchester have gone, would seem to be a good reason for such a belief," said Mr Norris from Frank's Cafe in Elliott Street.

Mr Norris says TCT have support from Wigan Borough Partnership and that Greenbank Partnerships (who want to develop Xanadu) "appears to be in favour".

The rail link would use the old track bed, run along side part of Atherleigh Way, across Lilford Park with new track from the new station at Mosley Common's Parr Brow to the Atherton/Manchester line.

"There is only one drawback to this plan which is to do with GMPTE subsidies.

"At the moment the Atherton to Manchester line is subsidised because it is a commuter route but the line between Newton and Manchester is not because the only station remaining is Eccles. To re-open two commuter stations with park and ride schemes would force them into subsidising the line," said Mr. Norris.

He added: "We keep being told that there is no money for new rail schemes but the Metro link to Eccles is under construction and a new Metro link costing £350 for Oldham and Ashton under Lyne has been approved.

"The money is there but we need to get hold of it quickly."

A Wigan Council spokesman said they were committed to supporting the guided busway.

"But there is to be a borough wide review of rail services whren the councol and PTE will be looking if there is any scope for more stations and extending the potential of stations such as Standish and Golborne."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.