Please visit our website at www.mcrua.org.uk.
David Sidebottom, the Passenger Focus Passenger Link Manager for Northern, Merseyrail and Hull Trains, is to be the guest speaker at the 2006 MCRUA AGM on Thursday 13th July at 7.30pm. Passenger Focus is the new name for the Rail Passengers Council, the national, statutory body, which represents rail users. The venue for the AGM is as usual the Tatton Room at the rear of the Knutsford Civic Centre adjacent to Knutsford station. The meeting will start with the formal AGM business after which David will make his presentation, which will be followed by questions from the floor. Suitable trains to get to the AGM are the 18.24 from Manchester Piccadilly and the 17.57 from Chester. Suitable return trains are the 21.40 Knutsford to Manchester Piccadilly and the 22.04 to Chester. Parking is available adjacent to the venue, accessible via Marcliff Grove, the first side road to the north of Knutsford station. We look forward to a good turnout of members for this event, which, unlike some previous AGMs, has been deliberately timed to avoid the World Cup!
Users of the mid-Cheshire line should notice a slight reduction in passenger numbers from Monday 26th June, when a limited passenger train service resumes on the Crewe-Wilmslow-Cheadle Hulme-Stockport-Manchester line. Those who have been driving across to Plumley and Northwich to use our service may revert to using their own local station. Two passenger trains per hour will use the Crewe-Manchester line, an all stations stopping train and the Cardiff-Manchester train calling only at Wilmslow and Stockport. Network Rail has been unable to fully commission the new signalling on the Crewe-Cheadle Hulme line (even though the line has been closed since last December!) and an interim signalling system has been installed to enable the line to reopen. The junctions at Wilmslow and Sandbach and the points at Alderley Edge will remain out of use. The existing Manchester Piccadilly-Manchester Airport-Styal-Wilmslow service will continue to operate and will be extended to also operate at weekends. The Manchester-Crewe all stations stopping train will depart from Piccadilly at 58 minutes past each hour and the Cardiff train will depart at 33 minutes past the hour. A further (lengthy?) engineering blockade is planned after Christmas to fully commission the new signalling.
There are very few changes in the summer timetable, which began on Sunday 11th June. The 05.58 from Chester to Piccadilly is once more officially a connection into the 07.14 from Stockport to London Euston. This is because the arrival time at Stockport is now 07.09 (rather than 07.10) and the connection time is therefore now five minutes, which is the official minimum connection time at Stockport. Thank you to Northern for making this change at MCRUA’s suggestion. The 09.31 from Northwich to Blackpool North is retimed to depart at 09.33. From Monday 11th September we again have a “leaf fall” timetable and most trains are retimed to leave Chester 4 minutes earlier to give them more time between Chester and Stockport. The 07.31 from Chester is retimed to depart at 07.24. The 09.33 from Northwich to Blackpool North becomes the 09.29 (it had to be didn’t it?) and MCRUA will be pressing for Wayfarer tickets to be valid on this train from Northwich. Cheap day return tickets to Manchester will be valid on the 09.29 because that fare is a “B2” (valid from 09.15). The new pocket timetable is enclosed with this newsletter. MCRUA is disappointed that there is no mention of the popular Duo fares to Chester and Manchester in the pocket timetable nor are the free Metroshuttle buses from Manchester Piccadilly station mentioned despite large areas of white space. The all-line National Rail Timetable is available from W H Smith at Manchester Piccadilly and still costs £12. As members may have read, the summer 2007 edition of the “big book” will be the last to be published in paper form. Regularly updated files will be available on the Internet from next year. The loss of the paper version is a significant one and will obviously be felt most by the significant number of rail users without home access to the Internet. Its demise was perhaps inevitable once Train Operating Companies and Network Rail were allowed to make significant changes to train times (particularly in connection with engineering work) at shorter notice than the notice required for the publication of an accurate twice-yearly timetable book.
Our spring 2006 Special Train for MCRUA members and supporters was to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Our outward journey took us via the scenic Settle and Carlisle and Tyne Valley lines and return via the Tyne Valley and West Coast lines. After several traumas and disappointments prior to the day, the trip went well, although the weather was noticeably cooler in Newcastle by several degrees! At least it stopped raining. Thanks must go to the train passengers for their support, the committee members and helpers both on the day and beforehand and the train crew for a trouble free journey. Once again, apologies for those MCRUA members and supporters who were unable to purchase tickets for the trip due to the popularity of the route and the overwhelming demand. We look forward to seeing you all on our next trip.
Members may be pleased to hear that MCRUA is currently in negotiation with Northern for the hire of a train for our autumn special train. Northern have said that rolling stock is available on Sunday 22nd October and we are currently discussing possible destinations on the Northern network. The train will consist of two diesel units (hopefully class 156 Supersprinter trains), giving a total of 292 seats. A booking form will be sent to members when or if details are finalised. Those on our wider mailing list will be circulated later, after members have had a reasonable period in which to book (we have learned a lesson from the Newcastle trip!). If this proposed special train falls through we will pursue other avenues for an autumn trip.
The protracted reroofing of the main building on platform 1 is nearing completion and GMPTE have promised that the boarding on platform 1 will be removed by the week commencing 19th June. FoAI and MCRUA member Judie Collins is now the Northern station adopter for Altrincham. Judie is responsible for the window boxes of flowers, which have gone some way towards making Altrincham Interchange a reasonable place to wait for public transport. Litter and unruly behaviour however remain significant issues on the main Metrolink platform. The latest GMPTE scheme for the redevelopment of Altrincham Interchange includes the retention of the existing main building on platform 1. The scheme would entail the replacement of the existing footbridge with a new footbridge with lifts down to each platform. The scheme also provides scope for the opening up of the space in front of the main building by rearranging the location of the bus stands. Trafford Borough Council remain committed to the reinstatement of a cover over platform 1 but funding is an issue. The Railway Heritage Trust, who helped to fund the refurbishment of the canopy at Northwich station, is a possible source of funds.
The 10.46 Hartford to London Euston service continues to operate in the summer timetable. The Department for Transport (DfT) has now published its consultation document on the new West Midlands franchise, essentially the western half of the Central Trains franchise plus Silverlink County. The new franchise is scheduled to start on 11th November 2007. The consultation document is available on the DfT website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611835.pdf and the closing date for comments is 7th August. The document proposes an hourly Birmingham-Liverpool service operated by class 350 electric trains and calling at both Winsford and Hartford. This would provide Winsford with a better level of service than at present and is therefore to be welcomed. The hourly service would be the only service between Birmingham and Liverpool (currently there are two trains per hour in some hours). There would not be a Birmingham-Preston West Midlands service (which potentially could have served Hartford) as the class 350 trains are to be used instead on a new hourly Birmingham-Macclesfield-Manchester service. There is a proposed London Euston-Crewe hourly semi-fast service to serve stations in the Trent Valley. This could potentially be extended to Liverpool via Hartford if paths can be found and there is a viable business case for such an extension. MCRUA will be commenting on these proposals to the DfT. Members are of course also free to send in their own views in a personal capacity. The existing station building at Hartford housing the booking office has apparently been condemned and staff are to be moved into a temporary building in the fairly near future.
I am writing this on 4 June. I know it’s tempting fate to state this, but apart from a few little niggles, the performance of the trains on our line is currently good and better than it has been for some years in the summer. The reliability target of 99% of trains to run is being exceeded. The punctuality target of 91% of trains to arrive at their destination within 5 minutes of their planned arrival time is almost being reached. We’re striving to get there and a number of recent events are helping this. As many of you know, the signalling system between Mickle Trafford and Mouldsworth was replaced in the second week of May, leading to the closure of Mouldsworth signalbox. The old system is one of the 4 or 5 things on the line that have been a real problem for punctuality over the years, since it was very unreliable whenever there were any forms of electrical and other storms around, causing the track circuits to fail over the single line, leading to trains being delayed. The replacement system, based on axle counters, should be much more reliable. It came in on time on 22 May, and as far as we can detect has worked without a hitch since. Well done to Network Rail and their contractors!
At the same time, Network Rail took the decision to relay the very old track in platforms 5 & 6 at Chester. The track in platform 6 has been causing difficulties for years with it being so uneven. This has led to problems coupling units up, since the couplers were often too out of line and more recently there have been track circuit failures in platform 6 causing late departures. The signallers had got round this by using platform 5, but that in itself was causing delays for our line since trains cannot arrive into platform 5 at the same time as trains from the North Wales Coast arrive into platform 4. This was meaning our trains were getting in late, often therefore leading to late departures from Chester. John Kitchen tells me that some of the old track dated back to the LNWR, in other words around 1920 or before! It’s certainly served us well. The new track is superb, new rail and concrete sleepers appearing to be leftovers from larger jobs and we’re back to using platform 6 for most departures. Again, well done Network Rail!
Also, there has been a long-running ESR (Emergency Speed Restriction) at Cheadle Village on the Northenden single track section. Being single line, this has been affecting trains in both directions. This was removed by 22 May, so we’re back to normal there, too. And lastly, the Cheadle Hulme to Crewe railway line remains shut due to the new signalling not working correctly, meaning there are less trains through Stockport than normal. This helps by reducing the congestion between Stockport and Piccadilly. It looks like this is going to continue to help us for some time! We really feel for the poor people in Handforth, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Chelford, Holmes Chapel, Goostrey, Sandbach and surrounding areas consigned to slow buses and traffic jams. Supposedly this returns to normal on 11 June, but since the signalling system still doesn’t work correctly, it won’t, though there is going to be a better interim service until it’s fixed. Now, if this had been on a main line in London & the South East…..
In my last report I mentioned that we were still having difficulty on those occasions where replacement buses are required. Those operated during the day in connection with the Mouldsworth resignalling ran well. However, the occasional evening bus substitutions continue most of the time not to operate to plan and cause users grief. We have had meetings at a high level to work towards a long-term fix for this. The next meeting is on 16 June involving the main York-based manager in charge from Northern Rail, the main bus contractor, John Kitchen and myself. We’re making no promises, but we don’t intend to give up! The QIT continues to closely monitor the service and next meets on 21 June. Meanwhile, please continue to feed your train performance experiences, good and bad to me at the email address on the back. In this latter respect, a user from Plumley (not a member) recently emailed Northern Rail to say that having been a life-long car driver, he had started using the service just over a year ago to commute to part-time voluntary work he is doing in Manchester. He wrote to say how reliable the service was, that in a year it had never let him down, his experience with us was much better than he had expected and “Thank You”. It’s little unsolicited things like this that make it worth all the hard work.
As mentioned above Mouldsworth signal box has been abolished. The box, a Cheshire Lines Committee type 1a box of 1894 still with its original 34-lever frame, signalled its last trains on Saturday 13th May. At the time of writing the box was still standing minus its nameboard. It took an eight-day complete blockade of the line between Greenbank and Mickle Trafford to commission the new signalling on this section of line. At least this time trains from Manchester ran through to Greenbank and started back from there in service rather than terminating at Northwich and running empty to Greenbank to reverse as on a previous occasion. Thank you Northern for listening and for acting upon our suggestion. Thank you also to the Northwich Guardian for printing our press release about the blockade. The usual bus shuttles will be operating from Knutsford, Northwich and Hartford stations to the Cheshire Show at Tabley on Tuesday and Wednesday 20 and 21 June and from Altrincham and Knutsford to the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park from Wednesday 19th to Sunday 23rd July. The free shuttle buses to the RHS Flower Show depart from Altrincham bus station and from the Knutsford entrance to Tatton Park at the far end of King Street from the station. Members are informed that they can use the barrow crossing at the east end of Northwich station to cross the line if they do not wish to use the footbridge or are unable to do so. It is obviously necessary to keep a good lookout for trains while using the crossing. There was an unfortunate recent prosecution by British Transport Police of a male member of the public for using the crossing. He was accompanying his female partner who was pushing a buggy with a child inside and the police took the view that he should have used the footbridge. MCRUA regrets this prosecution (in the event the man concerned only had to pay costs) and we hope that it is not repeated. John Kitchen is currently endeavouring to have the signs at the end of each platform changed round so that it is clear that the crossing can be used by the public. Currently “Do not Trespass on the Railway” is before “Beware of Trains”. Navigation Road level crossing has been named by Network Rail as one of the five most-abused crossings in its LNW region.
Vegetation clearance has taken place on the Skelton Junction to Partington line but there is as yet no sign of the promised relaying of the track. The new bridge over the line from Sinderland Road into the new Stamford Brook housing development is nearing completion. The bridge allows for the reinstatement of double track on the railway and also looks as if there is sufficient clearance for electrification! This is presumably standard for any new bridge built over a railway line. The Lafarge stone traffic to Northenden has clearly not run for a significant period, judging by the amount of rust on the headshunt at Skelton Junction. Kemira fertilisers (formerly UKF) at Helsby is said to be reverting to using rail for the transport of its products from a date in 2006. The factory is served by a branch off the Helsby-Hooton line at Helsby West Cheshire Junction. The Olive Mount Chord from Olive Mount Junction to Edge Lane Junction, which provided a direct link between Liverpool Docks and the Earlestown/Warrington/Manchester direction is scheduled to be reinstated by December 2008. This will avoid the need for Freightliner and coal trains to and from the docks to have to run round (reverse) at Edge Hill station, which causes congestion in that area. The chord has been out of use since a signal box fire at Edge Lane Junction in the 1980s.
The DfT has recently published a Progress Report on the WCML. The report hails the growth in passenger numbers since the introduction of the 125mph timetable in December 2004. Further improvements are planned for December 2008 including three trains per hour between Manchester and London Euston (2 via Stoke and one via Wilmslow and Crewe) and an hourly service between London Euston and Chester. MCRUA will be lobbying to try to ensure that the three trains per hour service from Manchester to Euston does not lead to further curtailment of our services on the busy section between Stockport and Piccadilly.
The DfT has started consultation on the New Cross Country franchise, which will start on 11th
November 2007. The closing date for the receipt of comments is 7th August and the document is
available on the Web at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_611834.pdf.
Proposals which affect the North West are:
• Transfer of the Manchester-Glasgow and Edinburgh service to Trans-Pennine
Express from 2009 and provision of a through service from Manchester Airport to Glasgow and
Edinburgh (at the expense of through services from Manchester Airport to Windermere).
• An hourly Manchester-Birmingham-Bristol service via Wilmslow and Crewe.
• The possible transfer of Birmingham-Glasgow/Edinburgh services to the West
Coast franchise.
• The ending of Cross Country services to Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
• A new hourly semi-fast Birmingham-Manchester service via Macclesfield
operated by class 350 electric trains, running in the path of and replacing the existing
Macclesfield-Manchester stopping train and also serving Congleton and Stone.
As predicted, the DfT Review of the Northern franchise did not recommend any service reductions or withdrawals. The review discovered that Northern was being run in a cost-effective way (surprise, surprise) and that any service withdrawals would lead to minimal savings. Thank goodness that common sense has prevailed on this issue but where is the strategy to cater for the 10% plus growth in passenger numbers on many routes in the Northern franchise?
There is to be a six to eight week blockade of the Metrolink Altrincham line in July and August 2007 so that certain sections of track can be relaid. The blockade has been deliberately timed to coincide with the school summer holidays and a replacement bus service will operate for the duration of the blockade. The blockade will no doubt lead to overcrowding on mid-Cheshire line services between Altrincham and Manchester as Northern will probably not have the resources to strengthen services by the addition of extra coaches. Greater Manchester Police will cease to police the Metrolink system as from 1st October. Serco Metrolink is looking to introduce a Station Adoption scheme similar to the scheme currently operated by Northern. This will hopefully provide free travel on Metrolink for those who adopt stations.
In a correction to the previous newsletter, those aged 60 or above who are resident within the Borough of Macclesfield can have both a free bus pass and a discounted senior railcard, for which they have to pay £15. The Wayfarer ticket increased in price to £8.40 for adults, £4.20 for concessions and £16.80 for groups from the end of April. The Weekend Adult version has been abolished and Wayfarer tickets are no longer available from post offices. The GM Rail Ranger increased in price to £3 (£1.50 for children) and the Evening Ranger went up to £1.50 from 7th May. The GM Day Saver Train and Bus is now £4.50, the Day Saver Train and Metrolink is £5.50 and the Day Saver Train, Bus and Merolink is £7.00. The Megatrain concept has been extended to certain Virgin Cross Country routes. Single fares in the range from £1 to £10 plus a 50p booking fee are now available on most services from Manchester to Glasgow and Edinburgh. Bookings opened on 1st June with travel available from Monday 3rd July. Bookings are unfortunately only available over the Internet at www.megatrain.com. Virgin Trains has also amended its range of fares as from 11th June. The minimum fare on Virgin Value Advance tickets is removed for passengers with a valid railcard (since January 2004 a minimum fare of £10 has applied). This gives passengers with railcards a better deal on shorter length journeys. The Weekender fare has been abolished. A new level of Advance Standard has been introduced to encourage travellers to move away from the very busy services immediately after the end of the Saver restrictions onto the more lightly loaded services within the Saver restrictions period. This third tier of Advance Standard fares is priced lower than the other two levels, around half the price of a Saver ticket for a single journey. They can be purchased up to 18.00 on the day before travel, subject to availability. National Fares Manuals are now also available from TSO (formerly HMSO) in Princess Street, Manchester (across the road from the Town Hall).
A wide range of Rover and Ranger tickets remains available although publicity for these tickets has become very hard to come by since rail privatisation. Hence the reason for providing details here. National Fares Manuals contain details of these tickets and the following information is gleaned from issue 93 (11th June to 9th September). Details of Rover and Ranger tickets are available on the National Rail website at: www.nationalrail.co.uk/promotions/rangers_and_rovers.html. Tickets can be purchased from any booking office equipped with an APTIS ticket machine or its equivalent (i.e. locally from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport, Altrincham, Knutsford, Northwich and Chester).
The All-Line Rail Rover allows unlimited travel on all National Rail services for 7 or 14 consecutive days. It is valid for travel on the Caledonian sleeper seated coach or in a berth on payment of the appropriate supplement. It is not available for travel on Eurostar, Heathrow Connect between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow, London Underground, private railways, tram systems or on shipping services. Standard Class, 7 days £375.00, First Class 7 days £565.00, Standard Class 14 days £565.00, First Class 14 Days £860.00. A one third discount applies to children and holders of Young Persons (Standard Class only), Senior and Disabled Persons Railcards. This discount applies to most Rover tickets. Rover tickets are not issued more than three days in advance. The following Rover tickets are available for travel on all operators’ services:
NORTHERN ENGLAND (AND PARTS OF WALES)
North Country - 4 in 8 Days, £65 (£42.90 Railcard, £32.50 Child)
Coast and Peaks - 4 in 8 Days, £50 (£33.00 Railcard, £25 Child)
The Coast and Peaks Rover covers the area bounded by Holyhead, Llandudno, Blaenau Ffestiniog, West Kirby, New Brighton, Liverpool, Wigan, Manchester Victoria, Warrington, Manchester Piccadilly, Glossop, Sheffield, Buxton, Matlock (via Stoke and Derby), Tamworth, Crewe, Shrewsbury, Telford Central (via Shrewsbury only) and Wrexham (both Shrewsbury-Chester and Wrexham-Bidston).
North East - 4 in 8 Days, £65 (£42.90 Railcard, £32.50 Child)
North East - 7 Days, £75 (£49.50 Railcard, £37.50 Child)
North West - 4 in 8 Days, £50 (£33.00 Railcard, £25 Child)
North West - 7 Days, £60 (£39.60 Railcard, £30 Child)
The Freedom of the North West Rover covers the area bounded by West Kirby, New Brighton, Shotton, Chester, Stockport, Manchester Piccadilly, Stalybridge, Leeds, Carlisle, Hexham, Lockerbie, Dumfries, Workington, Morecambe, Blackpool, (both stations), Southport and Warrington Bank Quay.
All the above tickets are not valid before 08.45 on Monday to Friday.
CENTRAL AND EASTERN ENGLAND
Heart of England - 7 Days, £72 (£47.50 Railcard)
Heart of England - 3 in 7 Days, £55 (£36.30 Railcard).
The Heart of England Rover covers the area bounded by Chester, Crewe, Stoke, Matlock, Nottingham, Leicester, Northampton, Oxford, Gloucester, Hereford, Shrewsbury and Wrexham (the whole of the Shrewsbury-Chester line). The Heart of England Rover is not valid for travel on Virgin Trains direct services between Birmingham and Cheltenham.
East Midlands - 7 Days, £72 (£47.50 Railcard)
East Midlands - 3 in 7 Days, £55 (£36.30 Railcard).
The East Midlands Rover covers the area bounded by New Mills Central, Sheffield, Doncaster, Barton on Humber, Cleethorpes, Lincoln, Skegness, Peterborough, Bedford, Bletchley, Rugby, Coventry, Nuneaton, Stafford and Stoke.
WALES
Freedom of Wales Flexi Pass - 8 in 15 Days Peak, £92.00 (£60.70 Railcard)
Freedom of Wales Flexi Pass - 8 in 15 Days Off Peak, £75.00 (£49.50 Railcard)
Freedom of Wales Flexi Pass - 4 in 8 Days Peak, £55.00 (£36.30 Railcard)
Freedom of Wales Flexi Pass - 4 in 8 Days Off Peak, £45.00 (£29.70 Railcard)
North & Mid-Wales Rover - 7 Days All dates, £44.00 (£29.05 Railcard, £77.00 Famly)
North & Mid-Wales Flexi Rover - 3 in 7 Days All dates, £30.00 (£19.80 Railcard, £53.00 Family)
“Peak” means 11th June to 17th September. “Off Peak” is from 18th September.
The following are Day Ranger tickets valid on all operators’ services except where otherwise stated:
East Midlands Day Ranger - 1 Day, £22.50 (£11.25 Child, £45 Family). Not valid before 09.00 on Monday to Friday. Valid on Central Trains and Northern services only in the area bounded by Crewe, Stoke, Derby, Matlock, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Leicester, Peterborough, Grantham, Nottingham, Newark, Lincoln, Worksop (from Nottingham only) and Alfreton (from Nottingham only).
West Midlands Day Ranger - 1 Day, £14.20 (£7.10 Child, £28.40 Family). Not valid before 09.00 on Monday to Friday. Valid only on Central Trains, Northern, Silverlink, First Great Western, Chiltern and Arriva Trains Wales in the area bounded by Crewe, Stoke, Stafford, Gobowen, Shrewsbury, Telford, Wolverhampton, Stourbridge Town, Hereford, Redditch, Statford upon Avon, Leamington Spa, Lichfield, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby and Northampton.
Cambrian Coaster Day Ranger - 1 Day, £7.00 (£3.50 Child, £4.60 Railcard). Not valid before 09.15 on Monday to Friday. Covers the area from Pwllheli to Machynlleth and Aberystwyth.
Virgin Cross Country is providing daily through Manchester-Plymouth and Paignton-Manchester services as from the June timetable change. There is an 11.24 Piccadilly-Plymouth and a 10.02 Paignton-Piccadilly. The Liverpool-Norwich service is to continue to run as a through service and will form part of the new East Midlands franchise. The possibility of alternate services continuing from Ely to Cambridge or Norwich is to be investigated. If that is not feasible then every train will continue to run to and from Norwich. The Manchester Airport-Blackpool North service transferred from Northern to Trans-Pennine Express (TPE) from 11th June. The change makes sense as the service is inter-worked with TPE’s Manchester Airport-Barrow/Windermere service. The Buxton-Blackpool North service remains with Northern. Liverpool South Parkway station opened with the timetable change on Sunday 11th June. The station replaces the previous Allerton and Garston stations and there is a frequent shuttle bus service between the station and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Hunts Cross has one train fewer each hour as the train serves Liverpool South Parkway instead. Fast Liverpool-Manchester services are not yet calling at Liverpool South Parkway. There is to be a Sunday rail service to Mossley and Greenfield from the December 2006 timetable change. A third platform is to be provided at Manchester Airport station in time for the December 2008 timetable change. This will enable additional through services to operate to and from the Airport and likely contenders are services from Llandudno (via Chester) or Hull. The Buxton-Manchester service is to be diverted to Manchester Victoria via Denton-Ashton Moss on Sundays from 30 July to 10 September.
The following people have joined MCRUA since the previous issue of the newsletter was published:
Mr Colin Turton, Widnes
Mr Jim Sandles, Northwich
Mr R K Caukill, Sale
Mr Malcolm Roughley, Bowdon, Altrincham
Former member Brian Brockis from Bucklow Hill near Knutsford died in May at the age of 88. Alan Wilkinson, author of the Foxline book “Railways Across Mid-Cheshire”, sadly died on 30th September.
Opinions expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views of the MCRUA committee.
National Rail Enquiries: 08457 48 49 50 (24 hours a day)
The Trainline (bookings by telephone): 08457 222 333
Freephone number to report crime on the railway: 0800 40 50 40
Northern Rail Train Running Information: 0800-528-0200 or 0870 602 33 22
Northern Rail Customer Relations: 0845 600 11 59
Passenger Focus (complaints appeals): 08453 022 022
Helpline for Manchester Piccadilly station: 0845 0000 033
GMPTE Bus, Rail and Metrolink Enquiries: 0161 228 7811 (08.00 to 20.00)
Metrolink Enquiries: 0161 205 2000
Cheshire Traveline (bus and rail enquiries): 01244 602666 (08.00 to 20.00)
Merseyside PTE Public Transport Enquiry Line: 0151-236-7676 (08.00 to 20.00)
National Public Transport Enquiry Line: 0870 608 2 608
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN & NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Andrew Macfarlane 25 Prestbury Avenue, Timperley, Altrincham WA15 8HY.
Tel: 0161-928-9394
SECRETARY & WEBMASTER
Arthur Sancto, 8 Roxby Way, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9AX.
Tel: 01565-651209.k
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY & SPECIAL TRAINS
Peter Davies, 53 Acacia Avenue, Hale, Altrincham, WA15 8QY. Tel: 0161-928-2203.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
John Allen, 36 Townfields, Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 8DR.Tel: 01565-632437.
John Hill, Glenferry, Plumley Moor Road, Plumley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 OTR. Tel: 01565-722423.
Middlewich & West Cheshire Sub-Committee, Chairman: Dave Roberts, 5 Whitley Close, Middlewich, CW10 0NQ. Tel: 01606-833404 (home), 07900-194975 (mobile).
Hartford & Winsford Sub-Committee Chairman: Andrew Macfarlane (details above).
MCRUA QIT REPRESENTATIVE
John Oates ”Swallowfield", Slade Lane, Mobberley, Knutsford, WA16 7QN. Tel: 01565-873059 (home), 07860-513309 (mobile).
MID CHESHIRE COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP OFFICER
John Kitchen; Mobile number: 07909-872667
Membership of the association costs £5 for individuals, £7 for families and £14 for corporate bodies. If you wish to join please return the form below to MCRUA, 25 Prestbury Avenue, Timperley, Altrincham WA15 8HY. Please make cheques payable to "Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association".
Please send any subscription renewals to Peter Davies, 53 Acacia Avenue, Hale, Altrincham, WA15 8QY.06/06