Residents get on board with push to bring back railway
Over a thousand back proposal to reopen line
MORE than 1,000 residents have backed the idea to re-open the Leek to Stoke railway line in a petition organised by local MPS.
Now an outline bid for funding for a feasibility study on proposals to reopen the line between Leek and Stoke has been jointly submitted to the Government by MPS Jack Brereton, Jonathan Gullis, Karen Bradley and Jo Gideon, Stoke-on-trent City Council and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, the lead authority, as part of the Restoring Your Railway Fund.
Councillor Sybil Ralphs, below, leader of the district council and cabinet member for regeneration, said: “It’s been a long-standing ambition of mine – shared by many, many others – to see rail services brought back to Leek so this joint work between local councils and MPS to put forward a detailed bid for a feasibility study is a welcome step forward.
“There is still a long way to go to secure the necessary funding to re-instate the line but I know that doing so will really help to level up our community by enabling local residents to access the mainline rail network and offering visitors a great way to visit the Moorlands without the need for a car.
“It’s an exciting project and I’m pleased that through our partnership with local MPS and Stoke-on-trent City Council we are working together to ensure communities across North Staffordshire gain from the very real benefits re-opening the line would bring.”
The bid has received the backing of Network Rail and Northern Rail, county and parish councils and key businesses in both the Moorlands and Stoke including those in the aggregates industry.
Staffordshire Moorlands MP, Karen Bradley, who has also held the ambition of re-opening the line for a long time, said: “Having a clean, reliable train service into the city would benefit so many people in the Moorlands who travel for work and leisure.
“It would also allow many more to visit the beautiful Moorland countryside and attractions without adding to the pressure on our roads and has the potential to take freight off the roads, benefitting those who live along the A53, A520, A52 and A523. This bid is another step towards reinstating the line and I will do all I can to turn this into a reality.”
Member of Parliament for Stokeon-trent North, Jonathan Gullis, is backing the proposals,
He said: “The re-opening of the line would benefit the whole of Stokeon-trent and North Staffordshire, connecting Leek up with Stoke Station and it will help level-up North Staffordshire.
“Rail connectivity is crucial if we are to improve public transport locally. The re-opening of the line will not happen overnight, but we are heading in the right direction to get our case heard by government; giving us the best chance to turn it into a reality. I can tell how enthused Ministers are with the proposals each time I have met with them, pushing the benefits the line would bring to Norton, Milton and Stockton Brook.”
After the submission this month by MPS to government, the next stage would be funding to commission a formal feasibility study into how the line would operate, stations, location, and what type of service would run.
It is estimated that the railway would reduce congestion on Leek Road and Leek New Road, improving journey times to Leek. The line would connect Staffordshire Moorlands and communities on the edge of the city, such as Norton, up with Stoke Station.
This is the second major railway reopening proposal for Stoke-on-trent, with the first already progressing through the feasibility study phase, led by Stoke South MP Jack Brereton.
Mr Brereton said: “Reopening the Stoke-leek line with a station at Fenton Manor would massively improve our local public transport and is a big part of our plans to transform rail services locally.
“Together with a refurbished Longton station, a new station at Meir, and a proposed station at Trentham alongside more investment in buses, this network is really starting to come together. I would urge the Government to back our plans to properly connect up North Staffordshire making it easier for people to get around, significantly improving access to skills and work.”
Jo Gideon MP for Stoke on Trent Central said: “I am delighted that the meetings I’ve hosted with train operators have all been positive. There is a real need and desire for better public transport in Stoke on Trent. Better options for trains will mean less congested roads, too.
“Thirty per cent of households locally don’t have a car, and it’s great that we’ve worked so closely together as MPS along the line to get North Staffordshire moving again – for everyone.”
Local councils and Members of Parliament expect to hear if they have been successful in their submission during the summer.