CAMPAIGNERS are to meet with rail bosses to look at getting a disused railway station on a major line into Bolton reopened.

Ribble Valley Rail user group says Turton and Edgworth station in Chapeltown should be reinstated on the Clitheroe to Manchester Victoria line.

The group is being backed by North Turton Parish Council, which also wants to see the station brought back into use after almost five decades.

The station, which falls within the boundaries of Blackburn with Darwen Council, has been closed for 45 years.

Now there are calls to bring it back into service, just months after improvements to Entwistle, another rural station on the same line, led to it becoming an hourly request stop.

Peter Moore, chairman of Ribble Valley Rail, believes the time is right to reopen the debate into Turton and Edgworth station.

He plans to set the ball rolling by raising it with Blackburn with Darwen Council and Network Rail representatives at the next meeting of the Clitheroe Line Development Group, later this month.

Turton residents have been calling for the station to be reopened for the last 10 years.

The last public debate, instigated by parish councillors, was held in 2007.

Cllr Graeme McIver, of North Turton Parish Council, said: “As a council, we have always been in favour of the station reopening and I think it is the same for the people who live close to it. We held a meeting 18 months ago, when we had about 150 people give their views, which were very much in favour.

“Reopening the station will make it more convenient for people living in Chapeltown and will cut down on people using their cars.

“There has been a few comments about car parking at the station, but it is our view that it will be mainly used by people living in Chapeltown and within walking distance.”

Cllr Mike Lee, of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said much-needed improvements to the track would have to be completed before looking at adding stations to the line.