Junction? What Junction? Dr Beeching closed the infamous Burscough Curves that enabled trains from Southport to turn right here - approx. at the position of the front of the train and head towards Ormskirk and Liverpool. Another curve turned left and enabled trains from Southport to head north towards Preston.

After almost 50 years the curves are no nearer being re-instated...

This from February 2014....

More calls to bring back Burscough Curves

• Feb 06, 2014 00:00
• By Georgina Stubbs

FURTHER calls have been made to bring back the disused Burscough Curves – the direct rail line between Ormskirk and Southport, linking to Preston.


FURTHER calls have been made to bring back the disused Burscough Curves – the direct rail line between Ormskirk and Southport, linking to Preston.
In West Lancashire Borough Council’s highways and travel masterplan, unveiled last year, it was highlighted that the rail line would not be reinstated.
However, the council said that if a good enough business case were put forward, it would look at the issue again.
Last week the Visiter revealed how Sefton Council had agreed to engage with West Lancs and other neighbouring authorities to ensure that vital infrastructure and transport links were kept.
The masterplan sets out infrastructure changes, to things such as highways and railways over the coming years.
This week the chairman of Ormskirk, Preston, Southport Traveller’s Association (Opsta), Alan Fantom, said that on the whole his members supported all the public transport initiatives recommended in the draft masterplan.
But he said they believed there was a greater potential and need for the development, integration and improvement of rail services to achieve sustainable and effective solutions.
He added: “Greater emphasis must be given to safeguard and improve direct rail services to all three points on the triangle of economic centres – Preston, Manchester, Liverpool city regions – as a key enabler of economic development in West Lancashire.
“Although this is primarily a point of concern to West Lancs, the same potential threat to services applies to residents in Southport and north Sefton.”
He said Opsta believed the Burscough Curves were vital to the sustainable economic development, social cohesion and mobility of Sefton and West Lancs in equal measure and should be reinstated under the masterplan.
He added: “The plan rightly attaches great importance to tourism but it needs good connections with Southport as both boroughs depend on each other with added significant benefits for Sefton.
“People can still have their say by completing a very short survey by Lancs County Council available at most libraries and online until February 7. This really is an opportunity for people to turn the red light green on the curves.”