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Central Station Development goes ahead!: 25 June 2010; Merseytravel Chairman Cllr Mark Dowd has confirmed that the redevelopment of Liverpool Central Station can go ahead!

Network Rail have had their budget severely cut since the new Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition administration took control in Westminster, and it had been suggested that the £18million scheme had been thrown out after Network Rail withdrew their share of the funding.

Network Rail had agreed to fund £6.3m of the project, from a scheme designed to provide better stations, but that fund, announced by Labour peer Lord Adonis, has been scrapped. However, Network Rail confirmed that £4m is available and that, together with funding from Merseytravel and the European Regional Development Fund, secures the project.

Cllr Dowd said; “Liverpool Central is no longer fit for purpose and is approaching a situation where it will become dangerous to the travelling public.

“Without this development, someone will be hurt, or worse. This isn’t about a shiny new facade, it is a health and safety priority. We can provide this upgrade with our funding partners albeit on a slightly reduced budget.

“The Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors on the Independent Transport Authority agreed with the Labour group that these improvements were a priority, but their leaders in Whitehall clearly have higher priorities than the safety of Merseyside’s travelling public.

“I warned some weeks ago that there would be carnage under this administration, and that we in Merseyside are going to be hardest hit. This is what I was forecasting then, and it’s coming true now. “; Back to Media Centre