[Archived] Train Station At Ewood

[iamarover]

As regards getting more fans to the shrine that is Ewood... I notice Blackburn Council are lobbying for more money to upgrade the commuters line to Manchester. Knocked back so far, but Jack Straw - a top Rover - is on the appeal case. Could the club weigh in with some cash for a station? The Preston line runs right past the stadium. If we could get people from the Rossendale and Ribble Valleys coming in on footy specials then perhaps this would boost attendances?

Or maybe the Trust could donate their £3m which they say we no longer need to building Walker Station right behind the Riverside?

Hits all the right environmental notes anyway and make it easier to come from further afield

[Russ]

As regards getting more fans to the shrine that is Ewood... I notice Blackburn Council are lobbying for more money to upgrade the commuters line to Manchester. Knocked back so far, but Jack Straw - a top Rover - is on the appeal case. Could the club weigh in with some cash for a station? The Preston line runs right past the stadium. If we could get people from the Rossendale and Ribble Valleys coming in on footy specials then perhaps this would boost attendances?

Or maybe the Trust could donate their £3m which they say we no longer need to building Walker Station right behind the Riverside?

Hits all the right environmental notes anyway and make it easier to come from further afield

Great idea, and one I've wanted to happen for a while.

One of the main problems with Ewood on a matchday is traffic congestion (as the area is not exactly ideal for a stadium)

I'm sure the traffic puts some people off going altogether, likewise parking can also be a pain and is yet another cost to add on. It soon adds up.

All the people who leave the ground when there's still 10 mins to go also cite having to 'beat the traffic' as the main reason.

It would mean you could go straight in and out without much fuss on a matchday, and also fans who travel from afar could have few drinks too.

Maybe the club could to do a deal with the rail companies for cheap rail tickets when bought with a match/season ticket??

[Roaming Rover]

Get a train to Mill Hill, Its a 5 minute walk to the ground. Failing that get a train to Blackburn and change and get off in Mill Hill. Easy

[Ozz]

Have you ever tried to get a train away from Old Trafford after a match? Quicker to walk home!

[Russ]

Have you ever tried to get a train away from Old Trafford after a match? Quicker to walk home!

They have at least three times more fans at home games than us tho!

[Guest fernhurstblue]

this subject gets raised every so often ..... the general conclusion is that the idea would not be viable which is why its never been implemented previously.

[SAS]

Get a train to Mill Hill, Its a 5 minute walk to the ground. Failing that get a train to Blackburn and change and get off in Mill Hill. Easy

I wish i could walk as fast as you

Train station would be a great idea, however network rail are throwing the idea out of doubling up the track and upgrading at a cost of £8m as a non starter as it does not make business sense, im sure that £8m will be better spent in the billions invested in southern rail network.

God i hate the rail network, we get sweet FA in east lancs

[LeftWinger]

I actually think this is a good idea. The trains from Mill Hill can be a joke. I've been on before when there are loads of people waiting for the train and then only 2 carriages turn up and not everyone can get on (when there is plenty of away support trying to get to Preston).

I think if there was a train station right by the ground it would boost attendances.

[LeftWinger]

Aerial Map

Wouldn't the station just be at the top of the hill behind the Riverside?

EDIT: Not sure where that line runs too or what it could be linked too, but I thought that was iamrovers plan.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

If there is a train station 5 mins away in Mill Hill then whats the point in building one at Ewood when it would cost a hell of a lot of money, not just the construction but the changing of time tables etc, when the station would only be used to it's max 19 times a season.

Having a train station at the stadium won't increase attendance enough to cover the cost of having the station there throughout the year.

Save the money and invest in the team or the town in better ways!

[SAS]

If there is a train station 5 mins away in Mill Hill then whats the point in building one at Ewood when it would cost a hell of a lot of money, not just the construction but the changing of time tables etc, when the station would only be used to it's max 19 times a season.

Having a train station at the stadium won't increase attendance enough to cover the cost of having the station there throughout the year.

Save the money and invest in the team or the town in better ways!

I take your point, and it would be at LEAST 19 times at year, not max

If we got taken over and we had a pot of cash then it might be time to look at it, and if the appeal does go through with the doubling up throughout the line to bolton then it could be time to work in conjunction with network rail to do it

EDIT: it would also be better for us to attract more events during the summer, ie: concerts, exhibition games etc

[SAS]

Infact the council also have abig pot of money to spend on a rapid transport system so watch this space

Although i can pretty much safely say this will just amount to bus lanes, as it took them 3 years in a study to reveal that introducing trams would be impossible because its too hilly

[LeftWinger]

EDIT: it would also be better for us to attract more events during the summer, ie: concerts, exhibition games etc

I think that is a very good point. If the club had really good transport links direct to the stadium, we could look at more ways of generating revenue through non-football events.

[Ewood Spark]

As regards getting more fans to the shrine that is Ewood... I notice Blackburn Council are lobbying for more money to upgrade the commuters line to Manchester. Knocked back so far, but Jack Straw - a top Rover - is on the appeal case. Could the club weigh in with some cash for a station? The Preston line runs right past the stadium. If we could get people from the Rossendale and Ribble Valleys coming in on footy specials then perhaps this would boost attendances?

Or maybe the Trust could donate their £3m which they say we no longer need to building Walker Station right behind the Riverside?

Hits all the right environmental notes anyway and make it easier to come from further afield

First thing to say ... its the Manchester line not the Preston line!

I joined the Fans Forum over this very subject seven years ago. I felt the station would open up the Ribble Valley and Darwen to easy Ewood access. The club's position was that they had looked at the idea and had even commissioned a feasibility study ... the results of which were highlighted by local resident opposition and huge expense. Maybe one day the idea will be revisited in context of an upgrading of the Manchester line.

[ABBEY]

If there is a train station 5 mins away in Mill Hill then whats the point in building one at Ewood .

!

5 mins away from ewood,have you ever done it in five mins?

its about a 1/4 hr-20 minute walk ,i bet you would struggle to it i in 5 mins by car with all the lights,never timed it .

[Sandiway Blue]

As regards getting more fans to the shrine that is Ewood... I notice Blackburn Council are lobbying for more money to upgrade the commuters line to Manchester. Knocked back so far, but Jack Straw - a top Rover - is on the appeal case. Could the club weigh in with some cash for a station? The Preston line runs right past the stadium. If we could get people from the Rossendale and Ribble Valleys coming in on footy specials then perhaps this would boost attendances?

Or maybe the Trust could donate their £3m which they say we no longer need to building Walker Station right behind the Riverside?

Hits all the right environmental notes anyway and make it easier to come from further afield

Unfortunately the only train station in Rossendale is at Rawtenstall and is purely for the East Lancs railway that runs to Bury and back.

As much as i love Ewood,really the club should have built a new ground out of town where there would be easy access to a main railway line and a motorway.

Last year i went to Amsterdam for the weekend and visited their ground.They have a train station within a 2 minute walk and 2 slip roads from the motorway that leads into the stadium itself ! The majority of the parking is under the pitch itself.

[Plastic Head]

I'll tell you now.......

No chance.

And if you rely on trains to get to Ewood you deserve a medal pal....

[AggyBlue]

Cue Fife to tell us about the trams lined up behind the BBE waiting to run fans back into town.

[iamarover]

First thing to say ... its the Manchester line not the Preston line!

I joined the Fans Forum over this very subject seven years ago. I felt the station would open up the Ribble Valley and Darwen to easy Ewood access. The club's position was that they had looked at the idea and had even commissioned a feasibility study ... the results of which were highlighted by local resident opposition and huge expense. Maybe one day the idea will be revisited in context of an upgrading of the Manchester line.

OK my mistake on the line. But in the context of the Blackburn bid for funding for the Manchester upgrade, perhaps we should pitch in and be part of the bid. Rovers would therefore only have to put up some of the money. I think it would be brilliant and would certainly make the idea above about using the ground for other things - concerts etc - much more feasible if transport links were direct to the ground. Mill Hill is a real schlep and up hill most of the way through some pretty solemn streets if you are unfamiliar with the area. Well we have to try something

[ABBEY]

Cue Fife to tell us about the trams lined up behind the BBE waiting to run fans back into town.

my grandad mentioned the trams a lot....but a tube like was mentioned earlier yea right ,how much would that cost hahha

[Wild Irish Rover]

Mill hill station 5 minutes away? My Ar*e it is.. There are loads of reasons why an investment in infrastructure to facilitate access to Ewood make good sense, not least the use of the facilities as an International venue (e.g. womens world cup etc).

I suspect that the green arguments, together with the simply unfashionable status of the club will rule out anything sensible being attempted to address the chronic matchday congestion problems.

So, where IS Jack Straw, when you need him?

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Can a railway station be justified when games are usually once a fortnight?

Or is there likely to be a demand from local residents?

I suspect the answer is no

[yoda]

Can a railway station be justified when games are usually once a fortnight?

Or is there likely to be a demand from local residents?

I suspect the answer is no

I think you might be wrong there, We got the train from Blackburn to Manchester 2 weeks ago and it was nearly full in the off peak time, a fair few were from the ewood and infirmary area, they had to go to town 1st to get on the train.

Rail travel is booming at the moment, the best time to justify a new station, or revamp the lower Darwen one with a footpath to Ewood.

The comments about linking the Ribble Valley, other events in the summer and womens football are very pertinent.

Ste B/mods How about starting a lobbying thread to get Jack Straw motivated on the issue

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Is there a coach/bus scheme from the train stations in Blackburn at the moment?

At Southampton, the train station is a good 20 minutes walk from the stadium so the club has coaches running to and from the stadium before and after the game. They also have free transport tickets attached to the match ticket to allow people to get to and from the match using the local bus service for free.

Maybe this would attract more people to leave their cars at home and get to the ground by public transport if they knew they could get to and from the ground with ease for free.

[only2garners]

I'm happy to raise it at the Fans' Forum again but as Ewood Spark says the answer will almost certainly be that the cost greatly outweighs the benefit.

It might be more cost effective to lobby the train companies for extra capacity through Mill Hill at match days coupled with a promotion to encourage fans to use that route. Contrary to some posters on here I can confidently say that it's 10 minutes walk to Mill Hill station, as I park close by there on match days. And Abbey, it's only uphill going back!

Back to my first trips to Ewood in the late 60s when I had to bike 2 miles and then get 2 trains to Mill Hill it was a 5 minute run to the station. One season I had to get a train at just before 5.00 in order to get my connection in Preston or wait 2 hours, so I had to leave just before the end and run. You young lads don't know you're born......