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North West Branch

Area

Counties of Cumbria and Lancashire, the unitary authorities of Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West & Chester, Halton, and Warrington, and the Metropolitan Districts of Bolton, Bury, Knowsley, Liverpool, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, St. Helens, Salford, Sefton, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and Wirral

Meetings

The next branch meeting, open to all members, will be on Saturday 6th April, this is a joint meeting with the Yorkshire branch and is at Yorkshire Children's Centre, Brian Jackson House, in the Engaging Space room, address is 2 New North Parade, Huddersfield HD1 5JP (close to the station).

The meeting will start at 1300 as normal, topics for discussion will include the Williams Review, Railfuture’s Blueprint for the North, TfN Rail Strategy and cross border routes. (Our own Branch committee business will start at 1130, in the same room).

Current campaigns

Railfuture have launched a Northern Powerhouse campaign for improved services that can be achieved now within current constraints, and that can be achieved in future through a coordinated investment programme, to turn the great Northern cities of Liverpool, Preston, Manchester, Sheffield, Bradford, Leeds and Hull into a single strategic economic entity linked by a fast high capacity rail network to realise the economic potential of the region as a global powerhouse.

Specific local campaigns include:
  • Two trains per hour on the Mid-Cheshire line
  • Re-opening the line between Skipton and Colne  SELRAP. Also note the news here regarding the Governments announcement of study into re-opening.
  • Re-opening of the Keswick Railway between Penrith and Keswick
  • A new line and station to get the town of Skelmersdale back on the rail network
  • A reliable enhanced service on the Wrexham-Bidston Line, a new station serving Deeside Industrial Park and the introduction of through trains to Liverpool as soon as suitable rolling stock becomes available.
  • Daily passenger services between Clitheroe and Hellifield, probably to be achieved by the introduction of through services to Manchester that the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line group wants to see
  • After a further delay due to stock shortages, services over the Halton curve should now start in May this year after works were completed (following a concerted campaign from North Cheshire Rail Users’ Group (NCRUG))
  • Re-opening of the current freight only Northwich - Sandbach line, to include a new station at Middlewich. Following much hard work by Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association (MCRUA) and others, the Department for Transport is set to examine reopening the Mid Cheshire Rail Link (the current freight-only line from Sandbach to Northwich) with business leaders, following pressure from the Government’s deputy chief whip. A working group is set to be formed by the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and officials from the DfT at the request of Paul Maynard, (previously rail minister), after lobbying from Tatton MP Esther McVey.

Branch Newsletter

Rail North West - Winter 2018-19 view or download PDF 1.0MB

(Previous newsletters)

Rail user groups

Rail user groups in the North West are also shown on Railfuture's Regional List of Rail User Groups. The Regional List can be viewed or downloaded in PDF format here.

Events

Railfuture and other regional and national events, including conferences and key campaign dates.

Branch contacts

Trevor Bishop, Branch Chairman
4,Butterfield Close
Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle
Cheshire
SK8 7AE
Tel. 0161 485 8426. Email: trevor.bishop at railfuture.org.uk

Malcolm Conway, Vice Chairman
58, Greengate Lane
Kendal
Cumbria
LA9 5LL
Tel: 01539 725995. Email: malcolm.conway at railfuture.org.uk

Neighbouring branches


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