Jul 16 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post
Joint
owners Tom Hicks and
George Gillett are on the
verge of submitting what
are described as “stunning”
plans for a new home for
the Reds.
Although
the two partners have
made it clear they want a
ground able to
accommodate between
70,000 and 80,000 crowds,
they have accepted it is
impossible in the
immediate future to
exceed the 60,000 already
agreed by planners.
Sources
close to the stadium
project say the owners
know they will have to
pay a large chunk of a
scheme to enable
thousands extra to reach
the new stadium, and that
leaves them with just one
option – a new rail
link. Their advisers are
already studying the
prospects of bringing
back into passenger use a
rail link closed around
30 years ago. It would
open up the so-called
Bootle line to passenger
trains, giving a direct
access to the new ground
from Lime Street Station.
The
line is currently used by
freight traffic from
Liverpool docks, linking
to the main rail network
close to Edge Hill.
Liverpool
FC will not seek
permission at this stage
to build a bigger ground.
But,
as exclusively predicted
in the Daily Post earlier
this year, the new plans
will enable the ground to
be enlarged later on,
building up the capacity.
However,
to win the go-ahead for a
capacity beyond 60,000,
the club will have to
undertake a detailed
transport impact plan to
demonstrate how crowds of
up to 20,000 more can
reach the stadium without
overwhelming the road and
rail infrastructure.
Revised
stadium plans will be
submitted to the city
council on July 25.
Last
night, the prospect of
re-opening the Bootle
line to passenger traffic
was welcomed by Cllr Mark
Dowd, chairman of the
region’s transport
body, Merseytravel.
He
said: “If the needs
of Liverpool FC is the
catalyst that finally
sees the re-opening of
this line to passengers,
I welcome it. For some
years, I have wanted to
see the use of this rail
link to passengers.
“It
would provide a good
service to people in the
Aintree area and would
revolutionise public
transport in North
Merseyside.
“I
travelled along the line
by train not so long ago
to check out its
feasibility, and it would
provide an exceptionally
good public transport
link. The line already
takes trains carrying
1,000 tonnes of freight a
time, so passenger trains
would be no problem.”
To
win consent for an
enlarged station,
Liverpool FC’s
owners would have to make
a contribution, likely to
run into several millions
of pounds, towards the
cost of a new station and
other necessary works to
re-establish a rail link.
Sources close to the
debate say, without a
commitment to the rail
link, the club’s
owners would find it
difficult, if not
impossible, to extend the
stadium.
But
the rewards for the club
by expanding the ground
would be so huge that the
outlay in rail
infrastructure would be
modest compared to the
rewards it would
generate.
Look out
for the pictures
Coming
Soon...
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