Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station

For the former station on the Derby–Manchester line of the Midland Railway, see Chapel-en-le-Frith Central railway station.

20+1⁄2 mi (33.0 km) south-east of Manchester Piccadilly on the Buxton Line.

History

The station was built in 1863 for the London & North Western Railway, on its line from Whaley Bridge to Buxton as an extension of the Stockport, Disley and Whaley Bridge Railway.

In 1867, the Midland Railway built a station (known as Chapel-en-le-Frith Central) on the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee line from Millers Dale to Chinley. The town therefore had a main line connection from Manchester to London, featuring expresses such as the Palatine and the Peaks. However, with the closure of the former Midland route from Chinley to Rowsley to passenger traffic in 1967, Central station was closed. The Midland line is still in-situ and used for freight to and from Peak Forest.

The station is one of very few to retain its walkway to cross between platforms; most stations having had footbridges installed. The prime reason for this is the requirement to provide a vehicular crossing for those houses further up the hill which have no reliable alternative; it is blocked for days during snow and, even when open, requires a considerable extra distance to be covered to reach the town centre. A footbridge would therefore not be used.^{[ citation needed ]}

The former stationmaster's house was used as a restaurant called Brief Encounter, but has been refurbished and is being used as a band room for Chapel-en-le-Frith Town Band. ^[1]

Accident

Plaque commemorating John Axon and John Creamer, the two victims of the collision

The station was the site of a fatal collision in 1957, which is commemorated with a plaque at the station.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed, but has a ticket machine which also allows the collection of pre-booked tickets. There are waiting shelters on both platforms and train running information is provided by automated announcements, CIS displays, timetable poster boards and a customer help point on platform 1. Step-free access is available to both sides via the foot crossing at the Whaley Bridge end of the station. ^[2]

Service

Northern Trains operates a generally hourly service in each direction between Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport and Buxton. ^[3]

Chapel-en-le-Frith
General information
Location	Chapel-en-le-Frith, High Peak England
Coordinates	53°18′43″N1°55′08″W / 53.312°N 1.919°W / 53.312; -1.919
Grid reference	SK055794
Managed by	Northern Trains
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	CEF
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Opened	1863
Passengers
2019/20	68,066

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Dove Holes		Northern Buxton line		Whaley Bridge

See also

• Listed buildings in Chapel-en-le-Frith

References

Citations

1. High Peak Borough Council Licensing details, "High Peak Borough Council - Licence Details - Brief Encounter". Archived from the original on 2 January 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
2. "Chapel-en-le-Frith station facilities". National Rail Enquiries. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
3. "Timetables and engineering information for travel with Northern". Northern Railway. 15 December 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.

Sources

• Radford, B., (1988) Midland Though The Peak Unicorn Books

External links

• Train times and station information for Chapel-en-le-Frith railway station from National Rail