NEW BID TO REOPEN ETRURIA STATION
Government set to work with councils
MPS and council chiefs will resubmit proposals for two major rail projects – after the bids missed out in the first round of government funding.
Stoke-on-trent City Council and local MPS requested support from the government’s Restoring Your Railways Ideas Fund for three schemes. Reopening Meir Station, reopening Etruria Station and restoring the Stoke-to-leek line.
While the Meir project is among 10 which have been allocated up to £50,000 to allow a business case to be developed, the other two proposals were not successful.
But the Department for Transport will now provide support so revised applications for the schemes can be submitted, with a second funding round due to close on June 19. There will also be a third round in November.
The government has previously announced a £500 million fund to restore closed railway stations and lines – which would be enough to reopen a small fraction of the 5,000 miles of track and 2,000 stations lost in the Beeching cuts.
Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for regeneration, transport and heritage at the city council, said: “This is fantastic news for the city that we’ve got to the next stage for Meir and are to receive further support for both Stoke-to-leek line and the reopening of Etruria.
“These initiatives form part of our ambitious plans to transform transport in and around Stoke-ontrent.
“These options would not only ease congestion on the city’s roads but it would significantly improve local transport and work links in and around Stoke-on-trent.”
Meir Station, off George Avenue, was closed down in 1966 and little remains of it today.
Council leaders had proposed creating a park-and-ride station in the Meir area, in order to reduce rush hour congestion on the A50, as part of its initial bid to the £1.7 billion Transforming Cities fund in 2018. But the idea was subsequently dropped.
The city council will now provide expertise on issues such as land ownership, planning consents, rights of way, and access to the station, as the business case for the station reopening is developed.
Stoke-on-trent Central MP Jo Gideon worked with the council on the bid to reopen Etruria Station, which closed in 2005 after more than 150 years of use.
Transport Minister Chris Heatonharris wrote to Ms Gideon to tell her the application required further development work.
He said: “We are ready to work with you on how best to take this project to the next stage and invite you to discuss the next steps with officials.”
Ms Gideon said: “A new station would be a valuable addition to the local rail network, servicing the Etruria residential area, Festival Park and the Enterprise Zone, reducing the traffic congestion and air pollution by providing an alternative travel option.”
The proposed scheme to reopen the Stoke-to-leek line, which was mothballed in 1998, will receive similar support from the DFT.
Staffordshire Moorlands MP Karen Bradley and Staffordshire Moorlands District Council are also supporting this bid.
Mrs Bradley said: “A rail link into the Moorlands would be of real benefit to people and employers.
“The roads are becoming more and more congested and it takes ever longer for people to get about. Such a link would open up the Moorlands to many more opportunities for new jobs, visitors and travel further afield.”