The Newsletter of the Mid-Cheshire Rail Users Association, the Voice for Users of the Manchester-Stockport-Altrincham-Knutsford-Northwich-Chester and Crewe-Winsford-Hartford-Liverpool Lines.
Visit our website at www.mcrua.org.uk. Firstly an apology that this issue of the newsletter has been delayed. We decided to defer publication until details of the December timetable were available. We hope that you think that the newsletter has been worth waiting for!
Network Rail has recently published its North West Route Utilisation Strategy Draft for Consultation. The document outlines how Network Rail plans to cater for the increase in demand for rail travel across the North West. Overcrowding is a serious issue on many routes and the easiest way to provide more capacity in the short term is to run longer trains providing that appraisal criteria are met. There are a number of proposals for the Mid-Cheshire line, including the following: A second train each off-peak hour between Altrincham and Northwich. Terminating all trains from Chester at Stockport (this would probably require a new bay platform). A skip stop service to improve journey times between major stations coupled with increased line speeds. Reduce the length of the Edgeley to Northenden single line and higher line speed on this section.
The document says that the additional Altrincham-Northwich train could be provided with existing rolling stock if the service terminated at Stockport (a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul!). However the proposal for an additional Altrincham-Northwich train “appears unlikely to meet appraisal criteria”. The document recommends that the proposal to terminate the service at Stockport should be developed further when the 2008 West Coast Main Line timetable is known “but the cost of the infrastructure or the impact on performance [if the bay platform is not provided] makes the case unlikely to be positive”. The proposal for a skip stop service (i.e. alternate trains not calling at all stations) is likely to be included in the strategy. MCRUA will be making its views known on this in the light of the complete failure of the previous bout of “skip stopping” in 1989-90. On the proposal to reduce the length of the Edgeley-Northenden single line, the document says that this should be excluded from the strategy as it “does not appear to constitute value for money”. If only double track had been retained when the motorways were built in the early 1970s! There are further sections, which include items relevant to the mid-Cheshire line. Under “Planned switch & crossing and signalling renewal schemes [by 2016] with enhancement potential” is the following: “Northwich and Greenbank signal renewals – Improve line speed and allow the freight-only platform at Northwich to be used by passenger trains, also allow turnbacks at Greenbank in the platform. Allows a new service to run from Crewe to Northwich”. These are certainly welcome proposals. Also under “Potential enhancement schemes” is the following: “Manchester Piccadilly platform 0 (conversion of stabling siding [behind platform 1] into a platform). Recommendation – develop further when the 2008 West Coast Main Line timetable is known”. MCRUA will be making a comprehensive response to the document, which can be viewed on the Network Rail website at www.networkrail.co.uk.
The national (and European) winter rail timetable begins on Sunday 10th December. There are a few changes to the service on the mid-Cheshire line. What becomes the 07.39 from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester starts back from Blackpool North and will therefore now depart from platform 13 rather than from the main station. It remains to be seen what effect this change will have on the performance of this important service but it will offer new through journey opportunities for commuters. The 17.58 SX from Manchester Piccadilly to Chester is retimed to depart at 17.53 to improve the train’s pathing on the Edgeley-Northenden single line. The standard off-peak departure time from Chester becomes 05 past the hour. The Northwich-Blackpool North service departs at 09.33 in the winter timetable and so Wayfarer tickets will again be officially valid on this train from Northwich. The 17.56 Chester to Manchester Piccadilly will call additionally at Heaton Chapel and Levenshulme. Saturday overcrowding should no longer feature from 16th December with the resumption of the Saturday Chester-Warrington-Manchester rail service. The new pocket timetable is hopefully enclosed with this newsletter and the new National Rail Timetable book will be on sale from WH Smith outlets at stations (for the penultimate time).
As most of your know, either from our AGM, or from my letter circulated in late August / early September with the railtour booking form, I was very privileged to take over the chairmanship of MCRUA from 13 July. Quite a challenge given what MCRUA has achieved over the last 19 years. I’m pleased to state we made a very good start at considering our future strategy in a meeting towards the end of August. We seem to have a lot of enthusiasm within our re-invigorated committee of 12 members, and I’m looking forward to our next committee meeting in early October, when we’ll be taking forward the ideas we came up with at the strategy meeting. Meanwhile, as you’ll pick up from elsewhere in this Rail Report, there’s plenty going on, from the mini-railtour, to activities with the Community Rail Partnership ably run by John Kitchen, to closer working with local communities and the local press. If there are areas that you think we should try to influence, please let me or our secretary, Arthur Sancto, know. And if by chance you’d like to help, possibly in one of our small groups around each of our stations, or possibly even on the committee (we have one place vacant), please again let me or Arthur know. After our early October meeting, we’ll be starting to put together clear plans about what we are looking to achieve and how we intend to do it. There’s plenty to be done, from improving the trains, to filling them up, influencing improvements at stations, closer working with Metrolink, and much more. We have a very able committee, and we’re all looking forward to future achievements. John Oates 19 September 2006.
As members will know from the letter our new Chairman John Oates wrote in August, the Annual General Meeting this year produced some changes to the committee as well as the new chairman being elected on the narrowest of majorities. As he says, we do have a full committee but we also are mindful that we could do with female representation and for a greater presence from the Hartford and Winsford area and the western end of the line generally. There are plenty of opportunities if you want to help MCRUA; just contact me! The other significant issue that the meeting made obvious is our constitution is in need of updating. I have been charged with carrying out this task. It is therefore my intention to produce a draft revised constitution for discussion by the committee at our first committee meeting in the New Year and that the proposed amendments will be voted on by members at the 2007 Annual General meeting. A number of members have already made comments on amendments they would like to see made. I am grateful to the members who have sent them. There is still time before Christmas if you wish to propose changes to the constitution. Would you please write or e-mail them to me saying what you believe the revised wording should be and, just as important, the objectives of the change. I can say that all your comments will be carefully considered, but cannot promise they will be included in the amendments to be put to members at the AGM. That said, you will of course still have the opportunity to speak during that discussion. If you want to see the existing constitution, it is given on the ‘Membership’ page of our website www.mcrua.org.uk. If you do not have access to the internet, I can supply a copy of the existing constitution if you write to me. If you do it would help if you also supply a stamped, addressed envelope.
It is pleasing to report that the MCRUA autumn special train to Carlisle via the Settle & Carlisle line on Sunday 29th October was a great success, helped by superb weather on the day. We’d like to place on record our thanks to Northern Rail for providing two class 156 “SuperSprinter” trains (and for charging a very reasonable price!). As far as we are aware it was the first charter train which Northern has operated for an outside organisation. There was some confusion at Chester station as to which platform the train would depart from (the information system managed to show the train as departing from both platform 4 and platform 6!) but we managed to rescue most of those who had opted for the “other” platform. Interestingly, a family group of three Russians joined the train at Manchester Piccadilly because the information system had told them that our train was a service train. They were on their way to St Bees (where their daughter was at school) via Carlisle. A group from the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line joined the train at Settle with a sales stand and their Chairman, Mark Rand, also did good business selling Settle & Carlisle line guides along the train. 44 passengers opted for the guided walk at Ribblehead and made the most of the glorious weather. MCRUA has made a donation of £150 to the Settle & Carlisle Railway Trust in recognition of the services rendered by the four volunteer guides at Ribblehead. Those who had done the walk were able to use a service train to reach Appleby for no extra charge and joined the return special train there. Those passengers who opted to go to Carlisle had just over two hours to enjoy the delights of the Border City before the return journey. Arrival back into Chester was 10 minutes late at 20.49 and many passengers said how much they had enjoyed the day. I’d like to thank all those who helped on the train on the day, namely Frank Needham, Paul Kennedy, Les Hopwood, John Hill, David Miller, Malcolm Roughley and our caterers Rolling Riot. We have received a number of comments to the effect that the train was well organised. The reason why we went for multiple-unit rolling stock rather than a locomotive-hauled train was to save money as autumn trips tend not to be as well supported as those on the spring.
MCRUA’s spring special train will be running from Altrincham to Cardiff via the scenic Heart of Wales line with the return leg being via Hereford and Shrewsbury on Saturday 12th May 2007. The train will be locomotive-hauled with both first and standard class seating and a buffet car. A booking form will be sent to all MCRUA members and to all those on our wider mailing list early in the New Year.
MCRUA Newsletter Editor Andrew Macfarlane has set up a company to market seats on special trains operating from the North West of England. He is currently selling seats on the Kingfisher Railtours special train from Wolverhampton to Edinburgh (for a 4-hour stopover) on Saturday 9th December. The train picks up at Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield (08.05 approx), Stockport (08.20 approx), Manchester Piccadilly (08.40 approx), Bolton, Chorley and Preston. First and standard class accommodation is available (in early Mark II coaches with opening windows) and there will be a buffet car in the train, which will be hauled by a class 67 diesel locomotive. Fares are £49 standard class and £69 first class. Please contact Andrew if you would like a booking form (contact details on the back page).
Work began to provide a temporary cover on the platform 1 canopy on 6th November. The cover will be galvanised steel with 20% being translucent panels and the work is due to be finished in mid-December. All trams are currently using platform 2, which of course actually makes for better interchange from the mid-Cheshire line. Members are reminded that through tickets (including 7-day season tickets) are available from any National Rail station to any Metrolink station. Only if you have a railcard do you need to buy separate tickets for the two legs of the journey. Representations were made about the poor signing of the alternative route from the booking office/ticket machines to platform 2 avoiding the footbridge stairs. The route is through the bus station, through the gate off the path to Moss Lane bridge and around the buffer stops. Some improvements were made to the signage of the route but the signs are still not large or prominent. The Friends are trying to get litter bins installed on platforms 2 and 3 and they are also trying to get contractors ISS to improve the cleaning of platform 1. The Friends are hoping to gain access to the track to clear litter in platforms 1 and 2 during the planned shutdown of Metrolink for the relaying of some of the track in July and August 2007. A welcome new Passenger Information System has been installed on platforms 3 and 4 with a monitor in the booking hall and information screens at the south end of platform 1 and on the wall behind platform 4. These new screens have improved information provision at Altrincham but there is still scope for improvement. The screens say “Welcome to Altringham station” and have done ever since they were installed and they could also indicate where rail replacement buses go from (i.e. the car park behind platform 4). The screens could also indicate that four stations on the line are request stops.
The service to be provided under the new West Midlands franchise has now been finalised by the Department of Transport and the good news is that there will be two trains per hour between Liverpool and Birmingham rather than just one. However the planned new semi-fast service from London Euston using class 350 Desiro trains will not now venture north of Crewe. MTR (the Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway) has pulled out of the bidding for the West Midlands franchise leaving just two bidders in the frame, GoVia and Serco NedRailways (the operators of Northern). The new franchise begins on 11th November 2007.
22nd January 2007 sees the launch at the Salt Museum, Northwich of Underneath the Arches, a four month temporary exhibition of Mid-Cheshire Railways. With its own gallery and cinema, the exhibition will explore the history of the local Cheshire Lines and the history of today, including MCRUA. Entrance to the exhibition is free and will provide a unique opportunity to view local railway memorabilia, photos and cinema show. Further details from the Salt Museum on Northwich (01606) 41331 or by emailing cheshiremuseums@cheshire.gov.uk.
The Baggin Man takes the Train, a FREE full-colour book telling the story of the Cheshire Best Kept Station Competition, featuring 12 watercolours by Bernice Barrett-Brown, can now be ordered direct from www.cheshirerail.org. This 32 page book, published by Vale Royal Borough Council, has some wonderful paintings of the Mid-Cheshire Line including our Black Five Steam Special crossing the Trent and Mersey Canal at Lostock. Be sure to order one for your relatives to promote the line!
I am writing this on 19 September. The train service is running well. There continue to be occasional hiccups, but anyone delayed for more than 10 minutes has been unlucky. The main concentration at the moment is on the run up to the “leaf fall season”. This is the time of the year when the juicy leaves fall off the trees, land on the track, the trains run over them, the leaves turn into a very slippery mulch, and then the trains slide very badly if nothing is done about it. This year, the “leaf fall train”, called the Rail Head Treatment Train (RHTT), is also to run on Sunday evenings/Monday mornings, as well as on the following 5 days. This should mean Monday morning services should be much better than last year, when Tuesdays to Saturdays worked well, but Mondays were often terrible. This is costing Network Rail a lot more money than last year, but they think it’s worth it to improve train timekeeping. For those who are new to this, the RHTT sprays ordinary water at high pressure onto the rails, clearing off the leaf mulch. For areas particularly badly affected, on our line this tends to be Mouldsworth up the hill to Delamere, and Cuddington, Knutsford and Hale stations, “Sandite”, a sort of sand-based gunge, is applied by staff on the ground wearing a bottle on their back with an applicator in their hand. So for those of you who thought this was a rocket pack, a new form of rail travel, now you know. Meanwhile, when we do occasionally have buses replacing trains on a planned basis, despite all our and Northern’s best efforts, the last occasion still went wrong, with buses calling at the wrong places and getting lost. We have had a high level meeting about this with the contractor who organised the buses last time. They have promised to do much better next time [and did so – Ed]. Goodness knows what Northern will do if it goes wrong again! I wouldn’t like to be the bus contractor if it does, the lady in charge at Northern is very determined. Basically, it had better be good!! The QIT continues to closely monitor the service. Meanwhile, please continue to feed your train performance experiences, good and bad to me (address at the back of this Rail Report).
Passengers who park their car at Knutsford station now get £1.50 off their £2.50 car parking fee back when they buy their train ticket. The class 142 Pacer units had reliability problems in the summer due to the heat. A solution was found to the problem, which should prevent its recurrence next summer. There has been serious overcrowding on many Saturday trains throughout the autumn due to there not being a rail service on the Chester-Warrington-Manchester line due to engineering work on the West Coast main line and Chester-Manchester passengers using our service instead. Network Rail has not allowed Arriva Trains Wales to divert any of their services via our line on Saturdays due to a lack of paths between Stockport and Piccadilly (because of other trains diverted off the West Coast Main Line!). Northern claim that they have no spare trains with which to strengthen our service and that overcrowding on other lines (they don’t say which) is worse. The overcrowding on our line has sometimes been so bad that passengers have been left behind at stations. It would help if Northern made sure that the three-person seats on the Pacers were occupied by three people rather than two. The new 6-screen cinema at Altrincham is to open on 8th December. The cinema is on Denmark Street, on the west side of the line just south of Altrincham station and can be reached via the path under Moss Lane bridge and then by walking through the new housing development on the site of the former carriage sidings. A new passenger information system was being installed at Stockport station in November. Mouldsworth is no longer a request stop on a permanent basis.
The planned reopening of the line from Skelton Junction (Timperley) to Partington has unfortunately been cancelled after Nova Chemicals closed their plant at Carrington in October. The Dowlow-Northenden stone train still operates sporadically (at least twice in August).
The Department for Transport announced funding for a “Little Bang” of Metrolink extensions on 6th July (also known as Phase 3a). These will be to Rochdale via Oldham (largely on the existing rail alignment), Droylsden (mainly on street) and St Werburgh’s Road (Chorlton). The Chorlton line is the first part of the proposed line to Manchester Airport and East Didsbury/Stockport and will branch off the Altrincham line just south of Trafford Bar station. The line from Chorlton will use the existing disused railway bridge to pass under the Altrincham line before curving round to join the Manchester-bound line before Trafford Bar station. The new depot at Old Trafford is also part of the Phase 3a package. Construction work on the extensions is due to start in 2008 for completion in 2011. Serco have lost the operating contract for Metrolink as from 1stApril 2007. Keolis and Stagecoach (the operators of Sheffield Supertram) have been shortlisted for the new 10-year operating concession. They are also to be asked to bid for a complete package including the maintenance of the infrastructure. The Bury line is to be closed in stages for the relaying of all of the track from May to September 2007. The Altrincham line will be closed for the relaying of some sections of track in July and August 2007. Replacement buses will be provided and efforts continue to have the mid-Cheshire line service strengthened during this period. The 08.11 and 08.23 departures from Altrincham to Bury are scheduled to be operated by a “double unit” (i.e. two trams coupled together) on Monday to Friday.
Passenger Focus has produced a useful booklet entitled “8 Ways of Saving Money When Using Virgin Trains”. Copies can be obtained from Julie Warburton at julie.warburton@passengerfocus.org.uk. Virgin Trains intoduced “Print at Home” tickets as from 18th September. These are available on a limited number of routes including Manchester-London and £9 single fares are available on off-peak trains. Details are available at www.virgintrains.co.uk and www.thetrainline.com.. Megatrain fares continue to be available between Manchester, Oxenholme, Carlisle, Glasgow and Edinburgh on Monday to Friday only. Details can be found at www.megatrain.com. Fares range from £1 to £10 single plus 50p booking fee and are available on the 09.58 to Glasgow and later trains from Manchester. Please make the most of these cheap fares as they are unlikely to continue to be available after First Trans-Pennine Express takes over the route in December 2007. The Altrincham-Chester Duo return fare (for two people travelling together) is now £14.50. There is no credit card charge if you buy tickets from the GNER website (www.gner.co.uk). Central Trains are to make their Central Value fares available for single journeys only as from 2nd January so that passengers can mix and match. The Scotrail call centre at Fort William is recommended for buying advance purchase tickets for the entire British rail network. The number to call is 0845 605 7021.
Irlam is to have an hourly Sunday service from the December timetable change. Also Mossley and Greenfield are to have a two-hourly Sunday service from December by the extension of the Liverpool-Stalybridge Sunday service to Huddersfield. Trains will depart at 18 minutes past even hours from Manchester Victoria. The new class 185 trains are to operate the Manchester Airport-Blackpool North service from the December timetable change. Trans-Pennine Express is to take over the Manchester-Glasgow/Edinburgh service as from December 2007. The service will start from Manchester Airport from that date. The Liverpool-Norwich service is confirmed as safe under the new East Midlands franchise. The service will not now serve Cambridge but may serve Liverpool South Parkway station in the future. The proposed Manchester-Birmingham semi-fast service with class 350 Desiro trains will not now happen (therefore the Manchester-Macclesfield local service will presumably stay with Northern). The new London Euston-Crewe hourly semi-fast service will serve Stone, Stoke, Kidsgrove and Alsager. Platforms are to be replaced at Burnage and Gatley stations over the next few months (each will be closed for 6 to 8 weeks). The junction at Wilmslow and the crossovers at Alderley Edge are to be brought into use at the end of January with train services (Manchester Airport-Crewe and Alderley Edge turnbacks) recommencing from the first Sunday in March. The junctions at Sandbach will be commissioned later. A serious fire at Guide Bridge station on 22nd October severly damaged the footbridge, which is to be demolished. Network Rail has offered a £2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. Work is to start on the construction of the new third platform at Manchester Airport station in June 2007. The platform is due to be used from the December 2008 timetable change. A recent study into the possible reopening of Beeston Castle station on the Crewe-Chester line unfortunately found that usage would be insufficient to justify the cost of construction. Engineering work is due to take place at Castlefield Junction (west of Deansgate) from 23 to 28 December 2006. Some trains from Liverpool will terminate at Eccles and Urmston with Bolton line services diverted to Manchester Victoria. Styal station unfortunately lost most of its train service from 10th September. Northern is only obliged to provide a skeleton service at the station.
School service D6 has been withdrawn. No notice has been given but the service was something of a secret anyway. Nevertheless, the loss of the 08.06 from Delamere Park to Northwich means the first bus from there is now 10.05. Commencing 30 October, there have been additional buses on route 82B: 06.40 from Vicars Cross, Littleton Lane End calling at Hartford Station at 07.06, Greenbank Station 07.10 and Northwich Bus Station 07.15, and 18.45 from Northwich, calling at Greenbank 18.51 and Hartford 18.54, to Vicars Cross. The 82, 82A and 82B now are the only buses serving Hartford Station, so this is a welcome improvement, although connections with trains sometimes involve a long wait. On Saturdays until 23 December there is a free bus (route 300) from Stockport Station every 10 minutes from 09.00 to 17.00 which follows a circular route via the bus station, main shopping centres, Peel Centre and Tesco.
The Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society is again holding its annual winter lecture series at Altrincham Methodist Church on the corner of Barrington Road and Woodlands Road (5 minutes’ walk from Altrincham station in the direction of Manchester) on the second Friday of the month at 7.30pm. Admission (which includes free tea/coffee and biscuits) is £3 (free for AERPS members). The remaining talks in the current season are:
8th December 2006 “Steam in North Wales” by Bob Miller (scenes taken in the last 15 years).
12th January 2007 “Mid & North Wales in the late 1960s” by Bill Chapman.
9th February 2007 “Tales from the Booking Office” by Arnold Chadwick.
9th March 2007 “In Search of Steam in Germany” by John Hobbs.
13th April 2007 “Everywhere but England” by Bob Avery.
Our good friends at the 8E Railway Association continue to meet on the second Tuesday of the month at the Gladstone Club, off Station Road, Northwich (5 minutes’ walk from Northwich station) at 7.45 for 8 o’clock. Non-members are welcome and forthcoming meetings are: 12th December 2006 Annual General Meeting. 9th January 2007 PSOV (Preserved Steam on Video). 13th February 2007 Film of pre-1968 main line steam by Colin White of B & R Video.
These continue to take place at the Cordingly Lecture Theatre in the Architecture & Planning Building on Wednesdays at 17.30. Admission is free and is open to all. The remaining programme for this season is:
6th December 2006 ”The Concessionary Travel Market” by Eileen Hill, Director, MVA.
31st January 2007 “Accessibility Planning” by Roy Macdonald of Greater Manchester PTE.
28th February 2007 “Changing Rail Travel Demand” by Gerard Whelan, ITS, University of Leeds.
21st March 2007 “Climate Change” by Don Mathew of SUSTRANS.
18th April 2007 “The Use of Roadspace” by Jim Coates of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and
Transport.
The SLS continues to meet on certain winter Saturdays at the Friends’ Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, Manchester (on the other side of the Central Library from St Peters Square Metrolink station) at 2pm. Non-members are welcome and forthcoming meetings are:
2nd December 2006 “Robert Stephenson: The Mania Years” by Dr Michael Bailey.
20th January 2007 Area AGM followed by “The Narrow Gauge Railways of Sardinia” by John Owen.
24th February 2007 “45 Years along the Fylde Coast Line” by Peter Fitton.
17th March 2007 “The LNWR 8-coupled Engines” by Ted Talbot.
The following people have joined MCRUA since the previous issue of the newsletter was published:
Mr David Hughes, Tattenhall, Chester
Mr Howard Sutcliffe, Chester
Mr W Lund, Wilmslow
Mr Richard Sandland, Hartford
Rick and Linda Carsberg-Davis, Knutsford
MCRUA member Arthur Yeadon from Timperley died in June. MCRUA member Arthur Wong from Congleton sadly died on 7th August. Longstanding MCRUA member Mr D B Purslow from Davenham died in late August. MCRUA member Raymond Hughes from Hale sadly died on 16th October. Andrew Macfarlane represented MCRUA at his funeral at St Margaret’s Church in Altrincham on 27th October.
We welcome John Archer to one of the railmen’s jobs on platform 4 at Altrincham. Chris Mulligan has retired from the position of Director General of Greater Manchester PTE due to ill health. David Leather is the interim Director General. John Kitchen is leaving his position as the Community Rail Officer for the Mid-Cheshire line to take up a job as Rail Officer for Cumbria County Council. We thank John for his achievements and we wish him well in his new appointment.
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
Network Rail (to report infrastructure faults): 08457 11 41 41.
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
CHAIRMAN - John Oates, “Swallowfield”, Slade Lane, Mobberley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 7QN.
Tel: 01565-873059 (home), 07860-513309 (mobile)
VICE-CHAIRMAN - Mike Honeyman, 36 Navigation Road, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 1BE,
Tel: 01606-74920.
SECRETARY & WEBMASTER - Arthur Sancto, 8 Roxby Way, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9AX.
Tel: 01565-651209.
TREASURER - John Hanson, 4 Stelfox Avenue, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire,
WA15 6UL. Tel: 0161-283-3384.
NEWSLETTER EDITOR - Andrew Macfarlane, 25 Prestbury Avenue, Timperley, Altrincham
WA15 8HY. Tel: 0161-928-9394.
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY - Peter Davies, 53 Acacia Avenue, Hale, Altrincham, WA15 8QY.
Tel: 0161-928-2203.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
John Hill, Glenferry, Plumley Moor Road, Plumley, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0TR.
Tel: 01565-722423.
Malcolm Roughley, Flat 2, The Battens, 72 Stamford Road, Bowdon, Altrincham,
Cheshire, WA14 2JG. Tel: 0161-929-5030.
John Hulme, Brow Cottage, Leighs Brow, Barnton, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 4HT.
Tel 01606-76092.
David Miller, 16 Primrose Hill, Cuddington, Northwich, Cheshire, CW8 2TZ.
Tel: 01606-888093.
SUB-COMMITTEES
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. Please contact David Miller (for contact details see above).
MCRUA QIT REPRESENTATIVE John Oates (for contact details see above)
MID CHESHIRE COMMUNITY RAIL PARTNERSHIP OFFICER - John Kitchen
Membership is welcomed from individuals, families and organisations. Please see membership page www.mcrua.org.uk/membership for details of how to join the Association together with the current subscription rates.