Stoke–Leek line

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Stoke–Leek line
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Leek
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Leek Brook
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Wall Grange
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Endon
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Stockton Brook
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Milton
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Milton Junction
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Bucknall and Northwood
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Stoke on Trent
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Fenton Manor tunnel (
106 yd
97 m
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Fenton Manor
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Stoke-Leek line
Map

The Stoke to Leek line is a mothballed railway route, which up until 1988 was used by BR freight trains to reach the quarries at both Cauldon Lowe and Oakamoor.

The line is made up of two sections; The first section is the remains of the former Biddulph Valley Line, which used to run from Stoke-on-Trent to Congleton, with the section from Stoke to Milton Junction being intact. This used to be a double track section, but was rationalised to single track after the loss of the passenger services.

The second section is the former single track connecting line to Leek from Milton Junction, passing through the villages of Milton, Stockton Brook and Endon before meeting the Churnet Valley Line at Leek Brook Junction for the 1 mile run into Leek. The section from Endon to Leek Brook though used to be double-tracked but was singled at the same time as the first section.

Both of these lines were part of the North Staffordshire Railway network that was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The Biddulph Valley line was authorised on 24 July 1854, with passenger services commencing in 1864. The Milton to Leek was authorised during 1863, with the passenger and goods service commencing on 1 November 1867.

Possible re-opening

In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between Stoke and Leek. This bid was unsuccessful. [1]

In March 2021 a new bid was made to the restoring your railways fund to re-open the line. [2] On 27 October 2021 it was announced the bid was successful and that £50,000 had been granted for a feasibility study. [3]

On 4 October 2023, the government committed to reopening the line as part of its Network North scheme. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endon</span> Human settlement in England

Endon is a village within the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Leek and 6 miles (9.7 km) north-northeast of Stoke-on-Trent. Endon was formerly a township in civil parish of Leek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staffordshire Moorlands</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Staffordshire Moorlands is a local government district in Staffordshire, England. Its council is based in Leek, the district's largest town. The district also contains the towns of Biddulph and Cheadle, along with a large rural area containing many villages. North-eastern parts of the district lie within the Peak District National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caldon Canal</span> Waterway in England

Caldon Canal is a branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal which opened in 1779. It runs 18 miles (29 km) from Etruria, Stoke-on-Trent, to Froghall, Staffordshire. The canal has 17 locks and the 76-yard (69 m) Froghall Tunnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Churnet Valley Railway</span> Heritage railway in Staffordshire, England

The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates on part of the former Churnet Valley Line which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway. The railway is roughly 10.5 miles (16.9 km) long from Kingsley and Froghall to Ipstones. The land from Leek Brook Junction to Ipstones was opened by Moorland & City Railways (MCR) in 2010 after they took a lease out from Network Rail. This has subsequently been purchased by the Churnet Valley Railway. The main stations along the line are Kingsley and Froghall, Consall, Cheddleton and Leek Brook. An extension to the town of Leek which will act as the northern terminus of the line was completed in late 2024. The line between Leek and Waterhouses has also been reopened as part of the heritage railway as far as Ipstones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodhead line</span> Former Manchester to Sheffield railway line

The Woodhead line was a railway line linking Sheffield, Penistone and Manchester in the north of England. A key feature of the route is the passage under the high moorlands of the northern Peak District through the Woodhead Tunnels. The line was electrified in 1953 and closed between Hadfield and Penistone in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congleton railway station</span> Railway station in Cheshire, England

Congleton railway station is a mainline station serving the Cheshire market town of Congleton. It lies on the Stafford-Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoke-on-Trent railway station</span> Railway station in Staffordshire, England

Stoke-on-Trent railway station is a mainline railway station serving the city of Stoke-on-Trent, on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line. It also provides an interchange between local services running through Cheshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etruria railway station</span> Disused railway station in Staffordshire, England

Etruria station is a closed station in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which served the area of Etruria and the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It closed on 30 September 2005.

The South Staffordshire line is a partially mothballed and active former mainline that connects Burton-upon-Trent to Lichfield in Staffordshire and formerly then to the West Midlands towns of Walsall, Wednesbury, Dudley and Stourbridge. However, Dudley and Stourbridge were already joined to the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway's (OW&WR) line just north of Dudley Station. It in essence, continued to Stourbridge along with Wednesbury and Walsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buildwas railway station</span> Former railway station in Shropshire, England

Buildwas railway station was an isolated junction railway station on the Wellington to Craven Arms Railway and Severn Valley Railway. Opened on 1 February 1862. Although the station served both the Severn Valley Railway and Wellington to Craven Arms Railway, it was an interchange station in open countryside with no passenger access except by rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sutton Park line</span> Railway line in the UK

The Sutton Park line is a freight-only railway line running from Walsall to Castle Bromwich and Water Orton in the West Midlands, England. It is an important and strategic route, as it enables most freight trains to avoid congestion at Birmingham New Street station. It gets its name as it runs through Sutton Park at Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands.

The Churnet Valley line was one of the three original routes planned and built by the North Staffordshire Railway. Authorised in 1846, the line opened in 1849 and ran from North Rode in Cheshire to Uttoxeter in East Staffordshire. The line was closed in several stages between 1964 and 1988 but part of the central section passed into the hands of a preservation society and today operates as the Churnet Valley Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stockton Brook railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Stockton Brook railway station is a disused railway station in Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucknall and Northwood railway station</span> Disused railway station in England

Bucknall and Northwood railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1864 to serve the Bucknall area of Stoke-on-Trent. Situated on the company's Biddulph Valley line, the station was served by passenger trains between Stoke and Congleton on the Biddulph Valley line and by trains between Stoke and Leek on the Stoke-Leek line. Passenger services on the Biddulph line ceased in 1927, but services on the Leek line continued until May 1956. After this date the station was still used for special and excursion trains until complete closure in 1962.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Endon railway station</span> Disused railway station in England

Endon railway station is a disused railway station in Staffordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton railway station (Staffordshire)</span> Former railway station in England

Milton railway station is a disused railway station in Staffordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wall Grange railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Wall Grange railway station is a disused railway station in Staffordshire, England.

Leek railway station is the proposed and future terminus of the Churnet Valley Railway and is currently awaiting construction. It will be the second railway station in Leek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddulph Valley line</span> Railway in northwest England

The Biddulph Valley line was a double tracked line that ran from Stoke-on-Trent to Brunswick Wharf in Congleton. The line was named after the town of the same name as it ran via the Staffordshire Moorlands and covered areas of East Staffordshire and Cheshire.

References

  1. Restoring Your Railway Fund: bids received gov.uk
  2. Corrigan, Phil (10 March 2021). "Second bid launched to reopen Stoke-to-Leek railway line after 31 years". StokeonTrentLive. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  3. "Restoring your railway: successful bids - GOV.UK". assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  4. "Network North" (PDF). Department for Transport. 4 October 2023. p. 32. Retrieved 4 October 2023.