A young family sit on a bench outside a mortgage advisors, just opposite a monument bearing a plaque celebrating a community pride award.
The award was given to Neston back in 2008 for being the best kept large village in Cheshire. It's understandable to see why. The high street is home to an abundance of independent shops and cafes, while the parish church is surrounded by neatly kept lawns and flower beds.
The dad rises from the bench when it's clear a bus isn't coming and consults a timetable, partially covered by an overgrowing hanging basket. He steps across the road, temporarily leaving his family, and flags down several passers-by. "Is this the bus stop for the 487 to Liverpool?," he asks.
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A number of people mumble they don't know before one points the family towards another stop next to a Tesco Express. Further up the road is Neston's train station. Unlike the high street, which bustles with shoppers, the train station stands near empty.
The only activity at the two platform station comes later in the day, when a number of students from a nearby school get the train towards Heswall. For all its charm and community, Neston's public transport links are noticeably lacking.
Neston's transport links to nearby Birkenhead and Liverpool come in the form of an indirect hourly train service, needing a change at Bidston, and a twice-hourly bus service. This means people living in Neston are cut off from the wider metropolitan area, finding it increasingly difficult to access public services, job opportunities and hospitality events only found closer to the city.
Yasmin Quinn sits inside her shop, The Ideal Gift, with her pet dog perched on her knee. The 53-year-old, who has been in the shop for nearly 20 years, says the area has "been neglected for public transport".
"The area is quiet, we see the same regular faces coming in," she explains. "Even if there was more public transport, I don't think more people would come in. I think people would use it to go out. I appreciate people have to make money, so if they're putting on the services and people aren't using them, it isn't viable to have more.
"But it's hard for youngsters. My son found it difficult to get work when he wasn't driving. Younger people are moving away for work and will only move back to Neston when they have families and cars."
Ms Quinn says she used to visit Liverpool more often than she does now, but instead of using public transport the whole journey, chose instead to drive to Bromborough before boarding a Merseyrail train there. Ms Quinn points to the train service as a particular reason why she opts to drive part of the journey.
Neston sits on the Borderlands train line between Bidston and Wrexham, currently operated by Transport for Wales. As well as only being served once an hour, the trains in operation, some of which date back to the 80s, are outdated and uncomfortable.
Ms Quinn calls them "clickety clackety," referring to the loud noise the trains make as they laboriously go about their journey. Paint peeled off the walls of the train the ECHO took to Neston, and a smell of cigarette smoke hung over the carriage.
A spokesperson for Transport for Wales has since told the ECHO: "Improving services on the Borderlands Line between Wrexham and Bidston is a key part of our plans to develop the North Wales Metro. Later this year and into next year we’re introducing new trains which aim to provide more capacity and a better customer experience. This will allow us to increase the frequency of services on the route once these have been approved by Network Rail and the Office for Rail and Road, improving connectivity between North Wales, the Wirral and Liverpool."
Several doors down from Ms Quinn's shop, Lily Eaton is setting up the outdoor seating in front of the Elephant Bank bar. The 19-year-old, a student studying primary education at Chester University, says she has lived in Neston for the last two years.
"I don't drive and I've started university," she explains. "I find it so hard to travel outside of Neston, particularly to university. There's only one train on the Borderlands line and I have to change at Shotton.
"I also go to Liverpool socially and have family towards there as well so I get the one bus, the 487, that comes every half an hour. If you don't make that you're half an hour late to everything you want to go to. A lot of the younger people drink in Neston as they don't want to pay the massive taxi fee to come back from Liverpool."
The ECHO approached Arriva for comment regarding the current bus timetable and was told the 30 minute frequency was in line with the passenger demand. Sash Uddin, Arriva's head of commercial for Merseyside, explains: "We continuously review all our routes to make sure we provide customers with the best service we can, while also ensuring we are able to continue operating a stable bus network over the longer term.
"As part of our continuous review process, we have reviewed the ridership numbers on the 487 and the 30 minute frequency is in line with the demand we are experiencing and will deliver the long-term sustainability of the service. We continue to work with Merseytravel and other stakeholders to make sure both the commercial bus network and supported bus network, efficiently meet new travel patterns and demand. Should passenger numbers build across our network, we will be closely monitoring the services with a view to improve the frequencies when appropriate."
Down a side street, a café serves a smattering of customers. Two baristas stand behind the counter, busying themselves with the coffee machine. One of the pair, called Pam, states "the Wirral is cut in half when it comes to transport".
The 65-year-old, who did not want to give her surname, explains she lives in Bromborough and chooses to drive to Neston. Although the drive only takes around 15 minutes, it would take around an hour to get the train. "There's no quick way to get across the Wirral by public transport", she adds.
The baristas explain they have a lot of regulars in the café and the market days every Friday are often when they will see people travel to the town. But Pam's colleague adds Neston "isn't a destination spot" like some of the more coastal towns on the Wirral, so that could potentially explain why the transport links haven't improved for decades.
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram has made it clear he hopes to expand Merseyrail services to new areas as part of his 'Merseyrail for All' pledge. Mayor Rotheram said in July 2021 "our publicly owned trains will revolutionise transport in our region...to ensure no community will be left behind".
A spokesperson for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority told the ECHO the current issue that prevents the expansion of the Merseyrail line towards Neston is the line is not electrified. This means the current fleet of trains is unable to operate along the route.
But with a new fleet of trains, some including battery technology, beginning to be rolled out, with the first expected this autumn, the Liverpool City Region hopes it will allow a service extension "beyond the current boundaries of the Merseyrail network". The spokesperson added: "One of the routes that could benefit is the Borderlands line. For this to happen, there will need to be a feasibility study undertaken. It is also likely there will need to be significant infrastructure works along the route and at the stations, including the ability to recharge the batteries at some stations."
Growth Track 360 is a cross-border funding bid to improve the Borderlands line. Originally submitted in June 2021, a round two application was recently made by Flintshire Council following feedback from Transport for Wales and the Liverpool City Region. The bid hopes to secure £1bn of rail improvements to better connect the line, while also improving local infrastructure.
Councillor Louise Gittins, chair of the project and leader of Cheshire West & Chester Council, said: “Improvements to the Borderlands railway will support the UK and Welsh Governments’ shared desire to tackle climate change with alternatives to the car by seamlessly connecting Liverpool City Region and Cheshire with the future North Wales Metro, providing our citizens with access to a wide range of job opportunities, skills training, educational and leisure facilities regardless of which side of the Wales-England border they live.”
But there are fears the improvements could come too late for people living in Neston at the moment. 19-year-old Ms Eaton explains she will eventually move away to seek better opportunities once she finishes her degree. "The transport is not great - I'd definitely leave in the future."
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