Appley Bridge to Parbold now a towpath triumph after major makeover

WEST Lancashire Borough Council and the Canal & River Trust are encouraging residents and visitors to explore the Borough's beautiful waterways following a major upgrade of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath between:- Appley Bridge and Parbold.

The Council has partnered with the Trust to successfully complete work on the canal towpath. Previously difficult for people to use in wet weather due to muddy conditions, the historic towpath has been transformed into a high-quality, all-weather, accessible route for everyone to enjoy all year round.

The enhanced 3.5km long and between:- 2 and 2.5 metres wide towpath now offers improved connections between:- the villages of Parbold and Appley Bridge, encouraging more active travel and outdoor activity. Additional work included vegetation removal and structural repairs to the towpath bank.

The project was made possible thanks to West Lancashire Borough Council through �385,000 from the:- Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and �107,371 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Councillor Gareth Dowling, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Planning and Community Safety, said:- "We're delighted to see this part of the project completed and for residents from across West Lancashire and beyond to now be able to use this section of the towpath for walking, taking their dogs out for a walk, cycling with families and friends, and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. Working with the Canal & River Trust over many years, West Lancashire Borough Council has invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into towpath upgrades right along its stretch through our borough and we've seen huge benefits in that time."

Rebecca Mason, Enterprise Manager at waterways charity Canal & River Trust, added:- "Our charity works to keep the historic Leeds & Liverpool navigable for boats and available for local people to use and get close to nature. We're delighted to see the improvements along the canal completed. It is a great example of working with our partners to make a real difference for the local community in West Lancashire."

Faster, smarter, simpler: Mayor launches Tap and Go travel on the Merseyrail network

MAYOR Steve Rotheram today hailed a new era of convenience for Merseyrail passengers as a game changing Tap & Go system is due to go live across the network.

Set to be introduced following a period of development and testing, the new contactless system allows passengers to tap in and out of Stations using a MetroCard, removing the need to queue for tickets and guaranteeing the lowest fare on all journeys. Linking a bank account to a MetroCard takes just a few minutes.

Mayor Rotheram, this week, introduced a new ticketing system at Liverpool Central, marking a major step forward in delivering a smarter, convenient and accessible public transport system for the Liverpool City Region, with plans for a full bank card Tap and Go to follow later this year.

Speaking about the rollout, Mayor Steve Rotheram said:- "Our Region deserves a transport system that is simple, affordable, and fit for the future. As someone who regularly uses the train myself, I know how much of a difference:- 'Tap & Go' will make for passengers. No more queuing, no paper tickets, and no worrying about whether you've bought the right fare. This is about making travel easier for everyone and helping build the fully integrated transport network our residents deserve.�

The Tap & Go system is the latest in a multi million pound investment by the Combined Authority in smart ticketing across Liverpool City Region's public transport system.

The system automatically calculates the best value fares based on the passenger's taps on Station gates and platform validators at the start and end of their journey on both a weekly and daily basis.

Not only will it speed up journeys, but it will also leave passengers with more cash in their bank, as daily and weekly caps will ensure passengers are charged the best value ticket.

A passenger pilot, operating for a number of weeks throughout the summer, saw responses to questions like "How likely are you to continue using Tap & Go?� and "Would you recommend Tap & Go to other Merseyrail passengers?� receive a satisfaction score of 4.85 (out of a maximum of 5), with 96% of passengers actively encouraging the pilot system to other travellers when it became live. The main benefits of the system were expressed as:- "saving time� and "not having to think about tickets.�

Neil Grabham, Managing Director of Merseyrail, said:- "The introduction of Tap & Go across the Merseyrail network represents a significant advancement in our efforts to make rail travel simpler, faster and accessible for all. We're proud to support this forward-thinking initiative, which prioritises customer's experience by eliminating barriers to travel and ensuring the best value fares are always available. This marks another important step in our ongoing commitment to delivering a modern, customer-centric railway that remains deeply connected to the communities we serve.�

The second phase will launch later this year and see passengers able to use their bank card, or devices such as phones or watches, without the need for a MetroCard.

This smart ticketing initiative is part of Mayor Rotheram's wider plan to create an integrated transport system across the Liverpool City Region; bringing buses, trains, and ferries into 1 cohesive network with smart, contactless travel at its heart.

It is hoped the new system will encourage more people out of their cars and on to public transport. This in turn will help to improve air quality and support the City Region's ambition to be net zero carbon by 2035. To get started, passengers can visit:- MerseyTravel.Gov.UK or head to any staffed Merseyrail Station, where MetroCards and support will be available.

Passengers are reminded they need to tap their MetroCard at the start and end of each journey on the platform validators.

With a new �500m publicly owned fleet of trains already transforming the passenger experience and plans in motion to bring similar technology to the rest of City Region's transport network, Tap & Go marks a turning point in the journey toward a better-connected Region, and accessible travel for all.

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Appley Bridge to Parbold now a towpath triumph after major makeover

Faster, smarter, simpler: Mayor launches Tap and Go travel on the Merseyrail network