Gordon Launches Petition to Save Station
Friday afternoon South Shore shoppers lined up to sign a petition launched on Waterloo Road by Blackpool MP Gordon Marsden with the Blackpool Rail Users’ Association against plans to close the existing Blackpool South rail station.
Mr Marsden joined members of the Association with other protesters in launching the petition against the proposals under the council’s latest regeneration blueprint. The plans could see trains being cut off at the Pleasure Beach or shunted to a new site away from the centre of South Shore.
‘It’s madness at a time when we’re trying to revitalise South Shore to have proposals downgrading integrated transport.’ Mr Marsden said ‘People who have signed the petition launched by myself and the Rail Users’ Association have agreed it would put them off coming to South Shore – we should be upgrading Blackpool South not threatening to close it down.
‘I’ve been talking this afternoon to businesses and local traders who have suffered all the teething troubles of the Waterloo Road redevelopment – this wouldn’t help them – nor the businesses and others on Bond Street still worried about their fall in trade. Lots of people don’t have cars in and around this area – they know that this rail loop out to St Anne’s and up to Preston is vital.
