We were very sorry about this, as were many others, but sadly apparently the law prevents a council-subsided service operating alongside a commercially-registered service.

This was also covered in the Chester Chronicle of 10 November.

It seems that Councillor David Robinson is still rather sore about this, so are we, and has apparently been calling the buses big and ugly!

However, we don’t get our name up on the back of one of Aintree Coachways’ buses! ….

Click here for pictures of last year’s event.

For more details contact the Zone or the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Officer on 01244 976788.

A team of more than 25 volunteers turned up at Greenbank Railway Station on Friday 25th November following a decision to clean up the Stations in the Northwich area.

The day was masterminded by Cheshire West and Chester’s Northwich and Rural North Partnership Team under the leadership of Area Manager, Mark Simmons with support from local Rail Officer, Sally Buttifant.

The station, which sits beside a local housing estate, has always had a fair amount of problems and the emphasis on the project was to tidy up the station so that it provides a more welcome start for those travelling by train and those visiting the Greenbank area.

There is no doubt that a clean and tidy station enhances a community and is the best promotion to get people off our congested roads and onto public transport.

Northern Rail manages the station and it is part of their corporate strategy to encourage community involvement.

But it is not just the mass of volunteers that has made this a success but the number of local bodies involved.

Volunteers at work

Those involved included, local partners and members of the Area Programme Board, Northern Rail, Cheshire West and Chester’s Streetscene, Northwich Town Council, Friends of Anderton and Marbury, Groundwork, Weaver Vale Housing Trust, Barclays Bank, Friends of Northwich Station, Cheshire Police, NHS Western Cheshire, Christ Church Greenbank and the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership.

Harry Boardman, local Northwich resident and Northern Rail appointed Community Adopter for Greenbank Station said:

“I would like to thank the Cheshire West Team for setting up this day and for motivating all those organisations to get involved. The real outcome of the day is that we have now added to our “Friends of Greenbank Station” which means the Clean Up will continue on an on-going basis. This is Good News for both the Station and for the local Community”.

John Hulme Vice Chairman of the Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association and Organiser of Cheshire Best Kept Stations said:

“I must congratulate Cheshire West’s Local Area Partnership Team and Sally Buttifant, the Local Rail Officer, for this innovative way of creative partnership working. Its outcome has been an action plan that has not only delivered but also, increased the Friends of Greenbank Station. This will ensure the good work continues.

Last year my judges were able to present Greenbank Station with our “Big Society Award”. This is what the Government’s Big Society is all about. Local volunteers contributing to their community and making a positive impact that all can enjoy. The best news is continuity. A one day clean up will not resolve Greenbank Railway Station’s long term problems but an active Friends Group will”.

If you get a chance, come along and join one of the trains, tell us your views in Knutsford, or join them and us for a “cup of tea” Booths Supermarket’s smart café.

British Transport Police are appealing for information.

Click here for details.

A new service starts the following day operated by Aintree Coachlines and registered as Route 40. (In the “old days”, route c40 was from the Town Hall to “Upton Zoo”).

The free connection from the railway station at Chester to the city was one of the very first, if not the first, free bus service like this. That was around 15 years ago.

We wonder if it was time for the contract to be renegotiated and for the dedicated vehicles which are around 15 years old to be replaced. We understand the costs were shared by the council and by the train operators based on their numbers of services into Chester.

We also understand that with Aintree Coachways registering the service, the council would not be allowed to subsidise a competing service.

The new service starts on 21 November with fares of £1 each way for adults, and free for holders of English Concessionary Bus Passes. Holders of Welsh passes will have to pay (or walk!), but then holders of English passes have to pay in Wales apart from on services which start or finish in England.

What a shame this free and heavily-used service has had to die!

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Press release from Chester West & Chester Council received on 14/11/11 – CHANGES TO FREE CHESTER CITY RAIL LINK BUS

Our committee member, Michael Ross has objected to the planning application.  With his permission, we have reproduced his objection below ….

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Objection to planning application 11/03999/FUL

Proposed 9 storey car park on the existing surface level car park with access off Station Road, on land to the west of Chester Station, Brook Street Chester Cheshire

My point of view

I chaired the Chester Station and Crewe Station project groups from their inception until 2007.  I am a town planner and a transport planner.  I am a regular user of the station.

Chester Station

Chester Station is one of 30 grade 2* listed stations in the country.  It has been sensitively renovated and modernised over the past ten years to win two national awards – a Network Rail environmental award in 2008 and ‘highly commended’ in the medium stations category of this year’s National Rail Awards.  It ranks with the Castle, the Cathedral and the Town Hall as one of Chester’s major buildings.  It is the rail gateway to the city – around 3.5 million rail journeys a year start or finish or interchange at Chester.

Renovation and modernisation

The Chester Station Gateway project is the regeneration and renovation of Chester station and its surroundings as a major gateway and economic hub to the city.  The partnership includes the railway companies, local authorities, Network Rail and the Railway Heritage Trust.  With funding from a range of sources the main buildings have been refurbished and imaginative modern structures have been carefully inserted within the station.  The forecourt has been reshaped as the Station Square and conservation improvements have been made in Brook Street and on City Road.

Parking

Station parking is limited and, through the use of a single all-day charge, is managed primarily to attract long distance travellers.  It easily fills up during weekdays.  More spaces are needed and the existing spaces need to be managed better to encourage short term (rather than all-day) parking during the day and at evenings and weekends.

National policy

Following the modernisation of the West Coast Main Line, the Department for Transport charged Network Rail with providing increased parking at stations, including Chester, which had benefitted from the modernisation.  Network Rail’s proposal is a response to this national need, rather than to local circumstances and the pressure to ‘do something’ has led it to favour a new-build solution on the most convenient area of railway-owned land irrespective of its local impact.

The proposal

The proposed car park will be twice the height of the existing station.  Although carefully designed, it is so big that it will dominate the area visually.  Its bulk and height will be totally out of keeping with the Station buildings and their setting in the Station Square.

There is a better alternative

There is a better (and probably cheaper) alternative approach to this blockbuster.  It would have three parts;

1 – a high quality car park on the whole of the west side of the station (including the area to the south of the steps), no higher than the facade of the Mold Wing

2 – more intensive management of the car parks to cater for shorter stay, evening and weekend use

3 – an agreement with Lloyd’s Bank to use part of their car park for long stay parking, coupled with a pedestrian link from their site to the Station.  This could include one or two extra levels on the part of the Lloyd’s Bank car park closest to the station.  The Bank’s car park is currently underused.  If priced below the all-day rate for the west and east car parks regular users looking for all day parking would quickly learn to access the site through the Lloyd’s Bank car park.

Why not?

The organisational structures and financing of the railway industry are complex.  The existing car parks are managed by National Car Parks under contract to Arriva Trains Wales.  Network Rail’s search for additional capacity is driven from the national level and being measured against its national targets which incentivise it to look for a new-build solution rather than one which is financially and organisationally complex – although saving capital expenditure.

CONCLUSION

I object to the application on the grounds set out above – it is out-of-scale with a major historic building and its surroundings and there is a much better alternative approach which would deliver more parking facilities for the Station and tidy up the land alongside Hoole Road bridge.

Michael Ross

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Here’s a picture of the completed work following removal of the last bits of rubble, the fencing being completed and wood chip being applied (to dissuade the weeds). This is courtesy of Chris Ingham, our Northern Stations Manager, who got “stuck in” to get the task completed.

(c) Northern Rail

A great improvement on what was our tattiest station on along the line.

Thanks to all involved.

It’s not exactly a sea wall…
When the A49 was resurfaced a few years ago, a sunken kerb across the entrance to the drive to Cuddington station was removed. It has now been replaced and should mean less rainwater running down the drive and onto the station. It should also mean less of a hazard to pedestrians coming off the footpath along Norley Road (beside the piece of white fence in the picture) and encountering cars cutting the corner. Thanks are due to the many agencies who have contributed to getting this work done when finances are squeezed (Cheshire West and Chester Council, Network Rail, Northern Rail, the Parish Council). Even the MCRUA Blog has been pressing for action – see our Network Rail “fix list” for 3 October last year