Bid to reopen Cliviger railway station 80 years after it closed (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Bid to reopen Cliviger railway station 80 years after it closed

3:11pm Thursday 17th November 2011 in Cliviger By Peter Magill, Chief reporter

RESUrRECTION BID Holme railway station, Cliviger, which closed 80 years ago

A RAILWAY station could be re-opened more than 80 years after closing if Burnley’s mayor has his way.

In three years’ time a regular train service will be running from Burnley Manchester Road station, to Manchester, as part of the £9million move to reinstate the Todmorden Curve.

And Coun David Heginbotham, the borough’s mayor, believes that this should signal the revival of Holme railway station in Cliviger.

Opened in 1849 the stop – between Manchester Road station and Todmorden – was officially closed in July 1930.

But Coun Heginbotham, who represents Cliviger and Worsthorne, is adamant it could have a bright future.

He said: “There are still two platforms in Cliviger, behind the Ram Inn in Holme Chapel, which were never demolished.

"Now we have got the Todmorden Curve happening and my next step will be to try and get the station reopened.”

He is planning to stage talks with Stonegate Taverns, owners of the Ram Inn, on whose land the platforms are now believe to stand.

“People could stop off at Holme with their bikes, or their picnics, and explore Cliviger and the surrounding area,” added Coun Heginbotham.

The reopening of the Todmorden Curve, 500 yards of track which enables trains to ‘switch back’ to the Manchester line, has already prompted one other railway station campaign.

Villagers in nearby Cornholme and Portsmouth are keen to rebuild their own station, the other side of the Calderdale border.