New railway station could be coming to Greater Manchester town

A new railway station could soon be coming to Rochdale.

Green space on the edge of Castleton will be transformed into a new housing development following planning approval granted by Rochdale Borough Council in June. The 191-home proposal put forward by developer Kellen Homes is touted for the site once occupied by Baggs Yard Railing Sidings off Heywood Road.

Currently, the site includes a disused railway siding associated with Castleton North, East and South Junction.

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The new housing estate, just 650m from Castleton Station, would provide a mix of two, three and four-bedroom homes. But for railway enthusiasts, this scheme’s approval means the land will be unlocked to facilitate the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) extension.

The newly approved site is one allocation of the Places for Everyone plan (PfE), which dictated that some of the land be preserved for the extension of the heritage railway. PfE aims to bring thousands of new homes and jobs to Greater Manchester by 2039.

According to ELR, this approval is ‘another piece of the jigsaw falling into place’. The extension would be around one mile long and would see a new station created.

A spokesperson for the ELR said: “The original ambition of Rochdale Council working with the ELR was set out in a 2010 masterplan ‘Unlocking the Potential for Castleton and Heywood’. The proposed extension is also in the East Lancashire Railway Trust 2020-2030 strategy.

“I agree that with the planning permission approved another piece of the jigsaw has fallen into place. The extension to Castleton would be just over a mile long and be the ELR’s eighth station.

“As for making progress, unfortunately