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Stoke-on-Trent station could be relocated

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thenorthern

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Just seen this in the Stoke-on-Trent local paper

Stoke station could relocate as part of multi-million pound plans

A MULTI-MILLION pound plan is being drawn up to transform North Staffordshire's rail network – including relocating Stoke station.

Other measures on the wish-list include laying two extra tracks and creating new train stops at the Britannia Stadium, Chatterley Whitfield and in the Moorlands.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is pushing the proposals as the opening of an HS2 station at Crewe is expected to create 120,000 jobs and 100,000 houses in the Potteries over the next 25 years – putting a huge strain on local infrastructure. Now the authority is to lobby the Government to try to get the extra investment needed.

City councillor Jack Brereton, who is to submit the transport proposal document in the next two months, said: "The current transport network simply isn't capable of coping with the level of growth anticipated as a result of HS2. That really needs to change."

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/8203...illion-pound/story-28736564-detail/story.html

The problem I can see with Stoke-on-Trent is that it was built to accommodate local services but since the city has grown its now more attractive for CrossCountry and Virgin Trains to run services to Manchester through there rather than Crewe. More platforms are needed although I think the current site has no room for expansion.

Would be interested to see if anything does happen or if its just a wishlist from the city council.
 
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oddiesjack

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A better headline for that story would be:
"Stoke Councillor wants to build new railway station...... 2 miles from nearest railway!"

Chatterley Whitfield is quite a long way from both the existing line, and from the defunct branch from Stoke to Leek. Furthermore, he isn't wanting to open at station at Moorlands, but to help reopen that line, as it does head towards the Staffordshire Moorlands.
 

thenorthern

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I would be interested to see if they did improve the local services like they say as at present only 3 of the 6 towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent have any rail connection (Stoke-on-Trent in Stoke Town, Longton in Longton and Longport in Burslem). Also Hanley the main town has no rail connection at all. The only remotely local service in the city as well is the hourly Crewe to Derby line.

A Britannia Stadium station would be good as well but given its location it would be hard to justify stopping or slowing down trains on a busy main line for a small station.
 

6Gman

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Would be interested to see if anything does happen or if its just a wishlist from the city council.

The latter I strongly suspect.

Interesting that the claims that HS2 will create 120,000 jobs in the region (itself highly questionable) has now become 120,000 jobs in the Potteries.
 

WatcherZero

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Funny when Stoke was campaigning to host the HS2 station over Crewe wernt they claiming that it would be a massive blow to their economy. Now its so good for their economy and they need extra investment in infrastructure to cope.
 

edwin_m

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A better headline for that story would be:
"Stoke Councillor wants to build new railway station...... 2 miles from nearest railway!"

Chatterley Whitfield is quite a long way from both the existing line, and from the defunct branch from Stoke to Leek. Furthermore, he isn't wanting to open at station at Moorlands, but to help reopen that line, as it does head towards the Staffordshire Moorlands.

Could they be meaning plain Chatterley, which appears to be near both the A500 and the existing railway just south of the Harecastle deviation, and might be a good P+R site? Google tells me Chatterley Whitfield is a mile or so north-eastwards but is on the former Potteries Loop line. Britannia Stadium is on the line south of the existing station but probably near enough to the Derby line to be served by a new station midway between Stoke and Longton. It's not clear to me where Stoke station might move to - Etruria Valley looks just as close to the A500 and not noticeably nearer to anywhere useful than the existing station.

So, although you may have better info, I interpret this article as being a proposal for a frequent "rapid transit" type service linking the Potteries to Crewe probably using the existing main line with extra track in places. As such it's probably one of the more sensible proposals discussed on this forum!
 

Morgsie

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As I live in the area (next town called Newcastle-Under-Lyme) and use the station then I worry this will be on the list of failed projects in Stoke.
 

Trog

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Do I remember there being a large area of waste land behind Stoke station. perhaps an old goods yard? The viaduct south of the station is wide, so could lines branch off there and come back in near the PSB to allow extra platforms. Perhaps using the existing station for the Derby line and the new for the CMD, so as to separate out the traffic a bit.
 

thenorthern

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As I live in the area (next town called Newcastle-Under-Lyme) and use the station then I worry this will be on the list of failed projects in Stoke.

A service into Newcastle-under-Lyme would be a good thing however given that Stoke-on-Trent is a unitary authority and Newcastle-under-Lyme is part of Staffordshire County Council I can't see it happening for a long time.
 

Baxenden Bank

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Ah, yet more wish-lists from the regeneristas.

North to South:

I think the councillors, bless them all, have their Chatterleys crossed.

Chatterley Valley is an employment site, north of Longport, south of Kidsgrove. Essentially the area where the line curves away on its new alignment south of Harecastle Tunnel. Newcastle Borough have some ideas of building on the greenfield/belt land to the west of the line, despite its steep gradients. A hole for regeneration money to be poured into to create development plateau (plural).

Stoke Station - additional or replacement
A proposed replacement station for Stoke we discussed last year as part of the 'HS2 must come to Stoke' debacle. Its proposed location is in the vicinity of the Wolstanton junction on the A500.

A station has been put forward for Etruria Valley on a regular basis since Shelton Steelworks closed. Occasionally by the lead developer - St Modwen (but without them being willing to put their hands in their pockets), more often by the council. Sometimes it is a rail halt, leaving Stoke served by long-distance trains, sometimes it is a full blown main station with Stoke relegated to halt status. Another hole for regeneration money to be poured into.

A road proposal is being developed to build a road from this A500 junction, over the WCML and into the Etruria Valley development site. This new road would link with a second new road linking Etruria Valley (near Vodafone), northwards then over the Trent & Mersey Canal into Festival Park on the site of Greenhouse 2000 i.e. the top end. This second scheme may now have planning permission (an application has certainly been submitted).

Needless to say both schemes will require substantial public funding. Dread to think what the WCML bridge will cost! Another 2 holes to pour even more regeneration money into.

Britannia Stadium. When the 'football' stadium was proposed, a rail halt on the main line was tentatively suggested. It did not progress but clearly it remains on someone's fantasy list. I've never heard proposals for a station on the Stoke - Derby line but there was previously a station in Fenton - Station Bridge Road is the clue to its location. I cannot see any station for Britannia Stadium, regardless of location, being used by many local fans - they don't have origin stations to commence their journeys at for Britannia to be a destination station. Unlike certain teams in Manchester, Stoke City do not have a long distance fan base - unless you count the Swedes / Norwegians, in which case an airport would be more useful than a rail station!

Line to Leek. OK, that one actually exists, and was proposed for re-opening by Moorland and City Railway after the line from Leekbrook to Cauldon was re-opened. Trees from Leekbrook back to Endon were removed. After that all went very quiet. Leek Station has a Morrisons built on it and is a good walk, uphill to the town. More pies in more skies - available from Morrisons of course.

As an armchair crayonista, (as I think we're referred to by our 'betters' inside the industry), I feel some form of enhanced local service would be a good thing. Some form of frequent cross-city service from Blythe Bridge to Crewe, serving stations at Meir (rebuild), Longton (existing), Fenton (rebuild), Stoke, Etruria Valley (new), Longport, Kidsgrove, Alsager (all existing) and then 'HS2, not quite serving Crewe (new)" would be the backbone and serve a large proportion of the conurbation. A second branch could commence at Stone, serving Barlaston, Wedgwood, Trentham (rebuild), Britannia Stadium (new) then Stoke and on to Crewe. A third branch could commence at Leek, serving wherever inbetween. If each ran at 30 minute frequency that would give a 10 minute frequency Stoke to Crewe.

Clearly capital costs would be astronomical, revenue would not cover operational costs, and track capacity at junctions with, and along, the WCML section is simply not there. But, hey, it looks great on paper. I suspect this is the reasoning behind proposed quadrupling (the formation exists virtually throughout, with long freight loops already in place north from Stoke and north from Longport.

At Stoke, there used to be freight loops bypassing the station to the west - through the area recently turned into a car park, so there should be no physical problem with sticking a couple of platforms out there.
 
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PR1Berske

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Funny when Stoke was campaigning to host the HS2 station over Crewe wernt they claiming that it would be a massive blow to their economy. Now its so good for their economy and they need extra investment in infrastructure to cope.


Not for the first time on this forum, we have reason to say "there are local elections coming up," when faced with news releases like this.
 

snowball

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"Plateaus" is perfectly correct and better when used in English speech.

But then the S would be audible, whereas Baxenden Bank originally wrote "plateau (plural)", which suggested he was thinking of the French-derived version.
 
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