A VILLAGE in the shadow of one of the UK’s largest cities will enjoy local rail access for the first time in decades with a new station set to open.
The revival plan has been in the works for years following a massive investment from the government.
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Cheadle, in Greater Manchester, first gained a station back in 1866 under the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway.
It would go on to be operated by British Railways but the site, by then named Cheadle North, was closed as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in 1964.
Since then, anyone hoping to catch a train would have to travel two miles to the next village, Cheadle Hulme.
And if you wanted to get to London, you’d then have to go back in the opposite direction from there to get to Crewe and change onto the Avanti West Coast service.
However, in 2022, Stockport Council was handed £13.9 million in investment from the Towns Fund.
The pot, which was part of the Levelling Up agenda, awarded cash to help develop local services across the country.
Councillors made the decision to reserve the money for a new station in Cheadle, along with a new “eco business park”.
The new route will connect the town to the Mid Cheshire Line, running through Stockport en route to Manchester.
There will be a single, 100m platform as well as covered waiting areas, live departure boards and ticket machines.
Parking will be provided for bicycles and electric vehicles, including a bank of charging points.
There will also be work carried out to upgrade pedestrian and cycling routes in the region.
But doubts were raised last week when a question on the project in the House of Commons met with an uncertain response from the responsible minister.
Tom Morrison, Lib Dem MP for Cheadle, said that it was “incredibly disappointing” that the Government could not clearly state that the money was on its way.
But the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government responded that the full allocation will be supplied.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of next year, with trains running shortly after.
At the time of the announcement Sharon Seville, then-chair of the Cheadle Town Funds Board, said: “We have worked tirelessly to bring this investment into Cheadle to help release its fantastic potential.
“There are still more hurdles to jump but we are all looking forward to the delivery of these game-changing projects over the coming years.
“I am especially excited about the opportunities a new eco-business park will bring to the borough and the sustainability template that it could set for future developments.”
