Two years on from the discovery of mineshafts underneath the station, plans for a lift at Walkden Station have yet to be acted upon.
The station has long been criticised for its lack of accessibility however, plans for a boost on access at the station have been confirmed to be worked on.
In 2020 the station was awarded funding for a lift to help fight for wider access, this was apart of a £50m fund to assist in train station accessibility for 12 stations across the country, one being Walkden Station.
These plans however were stalled in 2024 with the discovery of historic mineshafts being found underneath the station itself.
At the time, a spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We are carrying out the specialist surveys so we can find out more about the ground conditions beneath the station before we continue with the improvement work to make Walkden accessible for all passengers.”
Network Rail also said that the area is of “high risk” and construction of the area cannot be continued until these surveys have been completed.
This discovery led to multiple closures for the station as the grounds were deemed unsafe for the instillation to take place.
In 2026, few details have emerged about future timeframes for when construction is scheduled to start.
In a statement about the future plans for the station, City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “I’m pleased to say that the proposal to provide a new lift for the station has been agreed.
“Unfortunately, the presence of historic mineshafts in the area mean a number of structural surveys, ecological, drainage and ground investigations are required, and this has slowed down the project somewhat. Local people who rely on step-free access deserve a reliable railway service, and accessibility should never be treated as an afterthought.”
Councillor Hilaria Asumu backed up Dennett’s statement saying: “Historic mineshafts in the area mean surveys are needed first, which has caused some delays. We are pushing for this to be completed within a reasonable timeframe and residents will be kept updated.”
While some progress has been made on the station, like CGI renders of what the station is expected to look like with the life, no work has started on the construction itself, two years on from the discovery of the mines.
Network Rail has indicated that work is set to start summer or autumn of next year and take around 17 to 20 weeks to finish building. However, it could take up to 30 weeks in the ‘worst case scenario’.
To contact Network Rail you can call: 03457 11 41 41
