Leek to Stoke-on-Trent rail line reopening being investigated
- Published
Leek has a population of more than 21,000 but no railway station
A railway line that closed more than 50 years ago in Staffordshire could be reopened under plans being investigated by local councils.
Passenger services between Stoke-on-Trent and Leek stopped in 1965 and Leek's railway station closed in 1970.
But a feasibility study is now being carried out looking at options to reopen the line.
Stoke-on-Trent councillor Dan Jellyman said reinstating the link between the areas would be beneficial.
Leek's railway station is now a supermarket, but residents in the market town said it would be "nice to be reconnected" by train.
The chancellor announced £50,000 of funding to explore the options and develop the business case in his budget statement in November.
Leek's former railway station is now a supermarket
The application was led by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and local MPs.
Mr Jellyman said: "Leek is a thriving market town. There is also the big tourist attraction Alton Towers on the route and really connecting the city in Staffordshire up with the Moorlands and Leek would be beneficial to the Leek economy, but also beneficial to the city."
Work on the study is expected to begin in the spring.
Councillor Dan Jellyman said it would benefit both Leek and Stoke-on-Trent to reinstate the line
Councillor Sybil Ralphs, leader of the district council said: "Seeing this rail line between Leek and Stoke reinstated, with all the benefits it will bring, is a cherished ambition of mine and something I have worked towards for many years now.
"It's simply not acceptable that a town the size of Leek doesn't have easy access to the rail network - it can take longer to get to Stoke railway station by public transport than it does to get to London from Stoke - which is a view I know is shared by residents and businesses."
Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, external, Twitter, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk