Wilmslow station being upgraded before Northwich repairs riles - MP

Part of the roof at Northwich station collapsed in May 2021

Network Rail's completion of a railway station canopy's restoration while a nearby site still awaits repairs two years after it collapsed has riled locals, an MP has said.

Wilmslow's £1.6m upgrade has taken place, while Northwich's canopy, which collapsed in 2021, remains unrepaired.

Weaver Vale MP Mike Amesbury said he did not "begrudge" the Wilmslow work, but Northwich's wait was "galling".

Network Rail said comparing the two renovations was "misleading".

Part of the roof at Northwich station collapsed in May 2021 and while works has begun on a project to rebuild the station, there are currently no plans to restore the section of Victorian canopy that was destroyed.

Network Rail recently announced it had completed £1.6m of works on canopies at Wilmslow, which led to local politicians raising concerns.

Mr Amesbury said he and his constituents had seen the work "and it riles".

"I'm pleased they're investing in Wilmslow [and] I don't begrudge them, but in these days of levelling up, it seems particularly galling," he said.

"I want everyone to have first class public services, but if public services funding is right, then surely you need to target those in need."

He also said he had concerns about Network Rail's care for heritage buildings, citing images from just after the collapse of roots growing in the brickwork at the station.

Network Rail recently completed a £1.6m upgrade to Wilmslow station

Andrew Cooper, Labour councillor for Northwich Leftwich on Cheshire West and Chester Council, said he believes almost half the canopy had been demolished following the station's collapse.

He said the whole station was "a sore point", highlighting the lack of disabled access on the platform towards Chester.

"I don't begrudge Wilmslow, it's about priorities and decision-making," he said.

"We don't have access [and] we were promised two trains an hour, but it's one an hour.

"It feels like it's one thing after another."

Network Rail said it had been in regular communication with local stakeholders about the works and that the funding for the rebuild did not include any money for extra accessibility upgrades.

A representative added that some repairs to the canopies would take place, but a restoration similar to that at Wilmslow was "not anticipated".

"Comparing to the recent renovations at Wilmslow is misleading," they said.

"The decision to carry out and fund the work there was taken as part of planned and programmed works long before the incident at Northwich.

"Network Rail prioritises where to carry out heritage upgrades by assessing the nature of the station, site specific considerations such as how many people use a station, and the state of the repairs required.

They added that work at Wilmslow was "prioritised as temporary scaffolding was needed to support parts of the structure originating from 1842".

"We do care very much about the heritage of the railway, which is why the rebuilding work at Northwich station seeks to match the nature of what was there before."

The Office of Rail and Road is still investigating the collapse.