Macclesfield railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Macclesfield
code = MAC
manager = Virgin Trains
locale = Macclesfield
borough = Macclesfield
usage0405 = 0.713
usage0506 = 0.915
usage0607 = 1.086
platforms = 3
start = 1 July 1873

Macclesfield railway station is a main line station serving the Cheshire town of Macclesfield. It lies on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line, in the United Kingdom.

Facilities at the station include ticket sales, a kiosk, waiting room and public toilets. Prior to the relocation and rebuilding of the bus station in 2004, the Macclesfield railway and bus stations were located very close to each other.

It is one of the three stations that provide access to the Middlewood Way, which follows the route of the former Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple railway.

History

The London and North Western Railway (LWNR) was successful in opening the line from Manchester as far as Macclesfield. This station became known as Macclesfield Hibel Road station, opening 19 June 1849. On this date the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) completed the Congleton to Macclesfield section of their main Macclesfield - Stoke - Norton Bridge line. The North Staffordshire Railway had running powers into the LNWR station at Hibel Road.

During the 1860s the North Staffordshire Railway collaborated with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire railway (MS&LR) on the issue of constructing a joint railway from Macclesfield to Marple near Manchester. For the North Stafford, this would provide a route to Manchester independent of the LNWR. For the MS&LR, a link would be provided into Stoke and to the south. This line was opened throughout to a second, temporary Macclesfield station for passengers on 2 August 1869 and to goods on 1 March 1870. Eventually, the joint railway (between the NSR and MS&LR) known as the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple railway (MB&M) constructed a separate Macclesfield station just south of Macclesfield Hibel Road and was known as Macclesfield Central. The new station was connected to the rest of the joint line for goods on 3 April 1871 and opened for passengers on 1 July 1873.

On 7 November 1960 British Rail closed Macclesfield Hibel Road and Macclesfield was served by the vastly remodelled Central station now simply known as Macclesfield station.

The station won the "Best Kept Station in Cheshire Award" for 2007.

Trivia

In the 2005 film "Green Street", Macclesfield station featured, although the station building which appeared was not the actual Macclesfield station.

Services

Many of the Northern Rail services that run along this line terminate here, though a few continue through to Stoke.

External links