Plan to reopen Cheshire station shut by Beeching axe approved

Beeston Castle and Tarporley Station shut in 1966

Plans to reopen a station which was shut in 1966 have been approved by the government, a campaign group has said.

Beeston Castle and Tarporley Station in Cheshire was shut as part of the restructuring that took place across Great Britain in the 1960s.

The Beeston and Tarporley Station Reopening Group (BTSRG) said it was "delighted" its three-year campaign had been successful.

MP Edward Timpson, who backed the plan, said it was a "significant" moment.

The station on the Crewe to Chester line first opened in 1840, when it was known as Beeston.

It was one of more than 2,300 stations axed in the 1960s following the publication of the Beeching report, which also saw about 5,000 miles of track closed.

The report's aim was to cut the debts of the nationalised British Rail by removing duplicated routes and closing the least-used branch lines.

Campaigners welcomed the "pivotal step" in connecting central Cheshire

In 2020, the then-Transport Secretary Grant Shapps launched a government fund to help to restore some of those lines.

BTSRG chairman Michael Flynn said the Department for Transport's (DfT) decision to approve the reopening of Beeston Castle and Tarporley was "significant" and represented "a pivotal step towards enhancing the connectivity of our area to the regional and national railway network".

He said it had been "a long haul to reach this point" and thanked local people, stakeholders and councillors who had participated in the process.

Mr Timpson, the Conservative MP for Eddisbury, said the group's "exemplary commitment and meticulous technical planning" had resulted in "a resounding 'yes' from the government at a time when infrastructure funding is so fiercely fought for".

"To have opened up the rail network to our central Cheshire communities is a significant achievement," he added.

"It's been over 57 years since Beeston Castle and Tarporley Station served local residents and businesses and we will soon place it - quite literally - back on the track."

The BTSRG said it would now work with Transport for the North, Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East Councils, Network Rail and Transport for Wales to develop a delivery plan, detailed design and financing package.

The DfT has been contacted for comment.