Cottam railway station
Cottam Parkway is a proposed new railway station on the north-west side of Preston, on the Blackpool to Preston railway line.
Artist's impression. Design subject to change.
The new station will deliver journey times of around 5 minutes to Preston and around 20 minutes to Blackpool.
The project aims to:
Improve access to jobs, business and leisure destinations by rail.
Reduce congestion in Preston city centre by providing a Park & Ride facility serving North West Preston.
Increase rail connectivity to and from Preston, across Lancashire, to Manchester and Liverpool, and onwards to destinations across the national rail network.
Support access to new housing areas and junction two on the M55 through direct connections with Edith Rigby Way (A582).
Funding for the station has now been secured through contributions from the Department for Transport and the Lancashire Combined County Authority, enabling the project to move from development into delivery. We're continuing to work closely with Network Rail on the detailed design of the station, while Lancashire County Council highways engineers progress the design of the access road and bridge. Ongoing site investigation works are also being undertaken to inform the detailed design and support the next stages of project delivery.
About the new station
Artist's impression. Design subject to change.
The station will include:
A fully accessible station building with a waiting area
A staffed ticket and information office, and toilets.
A footbridge and lifts will link the platforms and provide level platform-to-platform access.
To encourage sustainable travel, the station will also provide a bus stop and secure cycle parking.
A free-to-use car park with around 250 spaces will be provided, including electric vehicle charging points.
Environmental measures
Planned sustainability measures include electric vehicle charging points, a green planted roof and solar panels on the station building.
The scheme will deliver a 10% biodiversity net gain through the creation of new naturally planted habitat areas.
New planting is proposed on the south side of the railway line, between the Ashton and Lea golf course and the bridge at Darkinson Lane, and to the west of the railway cottages. This will boost biodiversity and create new habitats for local wildlife.
Benefits of the station
The proposed station will provide more options for people to travel in and around the city and beyond, especially via Preston Railway Station, which is a regional and national hub. The approved business case is based on two trains per hour calling at Cottam Parkway, providing direct rail links to Preston, Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Airport and Blackpool North.
By providing an attractive alternative to car travel, the station will encourage more journeys by rail, helping to reduce traffic at key congestion hotspots on the surrounding road network.
Better rail access will help to support the delivery of new homes in north-west Preston and serve a catchment of around 12,000 homes in areas such as Cottam, Ingol and Lea.
Location and access
The station will be located on land between Lea Road and Sidgreaves Lane, close to the former site of Lea Road station, which closed in May 1938.
The main station entrance and car park will be situated north of the railway line, with additional pedestrian, cycle and bus access created from Lea Road.
Access to the station will be from a new road connected to Edith Rigby Way, via Avice Pimblett Way. The road will be built on the west side of Sidgreaves Lane with a new bridge over the Lancaster Canal.
A segregated cycle track and footpath will also be created along a section of the existing Sidgreaves Lane and over the Quaker Bridge, linking the station to the local cycle network and Darkinson Lane.
The station will include cycle storage and lighting to create a safe approach for cycling and walking journeys.
Progress so far
We consulted in 2021/22 to ask the public and interested organisations for their views on the proposals. Thank you to everyone who gave feedback.
The consultation identified several common themes and issues. How we took these into account is set out in the Consultation Statement within the Environmental Statement, as part of the planning application.
Planning permission was granted by the county council in September 2023.
Further funding for the station has now been secured through the Department for Transport and the Lancashire Combined County Authority.
Keep updated
You can contact the project team by email to CottamStation@lancashire.gov.uk
Updates and information about the plans will be included on our X (twitter) and facebook accounts.