MOMENTUM GATHERING FOR RAIL SERVICE - MIDDLEWICH GUARDIAN REPORT

The Middlewich Guardian of August 15th 2012 carried this story on the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign:

MOMENTUM GATHERING FOR RAIL SERVICE

Here's the full text of the article, reproduced with permission:

MOMENTUM GATHERING FOR MIDDLEWICH RAIL SERVICE WITH SUPPORT FROM MP

by David Morgan

FIONA Bruce MP has said that reopening Middlewich’s railway station is her priority for the town.

Campaigners have now collected more than 1,600 signatures in a petition urging for the Northwich to Sandbach line to be upgraded for passengers.

Fiona has agreed to present the petition to Parliament in the autumn.

She said: “This is a tremendous number of signatures which shows the strength of support for the reopening of Middlewich Station to passengers among local people.

“I pay tribute to the retailers of Middlewich in particular who have worked so hard to obtain this number of signatures in a relatively short period.

“This will enable me apply to the Speaker of the House of Commons to present this petition to Parliament in the autumn and it would be wonderful if we could reach the target number of 2,000 signatures by then.”

Reopening the line through Middlewich would cost around £2million and a feasibility study released in July 2009 revealed that the benefit would be five times greater than the price.

Cheshire East Council has recently been awarded £3.5million from the Government for its local sustainable transport fund Middlewich Rail Link Campaign members are hoping that a portion of that money can go towards the project.

Clr Mike Parsons, ward member for Middlewich, has requested a meeting with cabinet members Clr Rod Menlove and Clr Jamie Macrae.

Harry Boardman, a member of the Rail Link Campaign, added “There are substantial benefits to the region as a whole from opening this line.

“It would provide cross county connectivity unseen by Cheshire for more than half a century.”

Cheshire East Council had not commented as the Guardian went to press.

Middlewich Rail Link Campaign's petition is available to sign at the library, the Victoria Buildings and various shops in Wheelock Street.

SEE ALSO: CREWE CHRONICLE REPORT

Facebook feedback:

Chris Koons:
This is SUCH an important issue for Middlewich & the surrounding area... If I could nip back over from Kansas to go in and sign the petition myself, I certainly would. If you are still in the area or even pass through Middlewich sometimes, this is your chance to make your voice heard!
PLEASE take just a minute to stop in at one of the petition stations (Middlewich Library, the Victoria Buildings aka the rates office, or various Wheelock St shops) and sign it. Or if, like me, you're too far away to sign it yourself, please pass this along to your family and friends who are still there.
Wouldn't it be absolutely fantastic if it has the support of everyone in Middlewich?
What a great and convincing thing that would be for Fiona Bruce to take to Parliament in the autumn!

Donna Parkinson:
We in our house have a feeling that the Middlewich line is being used for 'un-p.c.' reasons at the moment. Movements in the night, helicopters flying around. What is it actually used for at the moment?

Dave Roberts:
As far as I (personally) know, it's used for normal railway purposes - i.e. for diversions (particularly when the Crewe-Chester line is closed), empty passenger stock movements and freight as and when required. The line always did carry trains throughout the night (most lines do, in fact).

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