Councillor a bit confused on his proposed reopening?

[northwichcat]

Cllr Brian Jamieson, from Northwich Town Council, said
....
"I think we should think about is the disused railway going from Winnington between Hartford and Weaverham to the main line – a link from Winnington would relieve people coming through Hartford."

http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/14149668.Northwich_backs_rail_link_campaign/

The disused line in Winnington is the line to the now closed Tata Chemicals site (the work from there was transferred to Lostock Gralam) and doesn't extend to the WCML.

The Hartford Curve (I think is probably the one he means) doesn't go through Winnington and is used by freight services but would allow a connection between the Mid-Cheshire line and the WCML.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/14149668.Northwich_backs_rail_link_campaign/
The disused line in Winnington is the line to the now closed Tata Chemicals site (the work from there was transferred to Lostock Gralam) and doesn't extend to the WCML.
The Hartford Curve (I think is probably the one he means) doesn't go through Winnington and is used by freight services but would allow a connection between the Mid-Cheshire line and the WCML.

There used to be a link from Winnington (actually Wallerscote, a separate soda ash plant) to the WCML, at a point called Gorstage sidings.
It was part of the internal ICI/Brunner Mond system, closed in the 1990s.
I think it joined the siding complex north of Hartford LNW Junction, which is still there in abandoned form.
This article says it connected in both directions at Gorstage, so could reach the CLC route as well.
http://www.paul-hurley.co.uk/index.php/newspaper-credits/16-faqs/my-books/25-cheshire-chronicles

Gorstage near Weaverham was at the extremity of the Northwich ICI private lines these sidings were only built in the late 1940's, early 1950's and they gave access to the West Coast Main line at this location. Access could also be gained from them to the Manchester - Chester line near Hartford. An interesting fact regarding this Gorstage sidings, is that after it had ceased operations in the 1990’s, the local Council, Vale Royal Borough had its heart set on bringing the Dinting Railway Museum, then based in Glossop, Derbyshire, to the sidings and surrounding waste land. The deal would have gone through, but unfortunately the ICI owned the land and they declined to sell it. This famous museum is now located at Keighley in Yorkshire and attracts many visitors every year.

I shouldn't think there is any prospect of this being a passenger route in the future. It's all sharply curved and indirect.
I think the two sets of sidings from the LNW and CLC routes only connected indirectly at Winnington, if a connection was ever used.

 

[6Gman]

The councillors also don't seem to have noticed that Northwich station is not exactly well situated for the town centre!

 

[northwichcat]

The councillors also don't seem to have noticed that Northwich station is not exactly well situated for the town centre!

Unless the track is rerouted there's not a lot which can be done about that. Putting the station on Leftwich viaduct isn't exactly viable! A free minibus shuttle service was trialed but there weren't funds to continue it after the trial.

When tram-trains were being looked at one proposed option was a street running section from Northwich station to Northwich town centre, but then an alternative was a street running section from Greenbank station to Hartford station so they wouldn't have both been possible unless there was a very frequent service.