New bid for rail link between Marple and Stockport

[amazon]

Assuming, as the reply from Cllr Smart's office suggests, that the plan is connected to another plan to introduce or reinstate a line from Ashton to Stockport, then it won't go anywhere near High Lane or Hazel Grove, that's for sure.

Building a link between the Marple - Piccadilly line and the Stockport -Guide Bridge line at Reddish Vale is a well-worn topic around here - or it was a couple of years ago. I think I may have been a bit of lone voice in advocating it, but I still think it could work, and could provide a reasonably quick rail link between Marple and/ or Rose Hill, Romiley, Bredbury, Brinngton and Stockport, with the added bonus of reintroducing a proper rail service at Reddish South. 

A sample timing, derived from the actual times of current trains, works out like this:

Marple/ Rose Hill  08.00
Romiley               08.05
Bredbury             08.08
Brinnington          08.11
Reddish South      08.15
Stockport             08.20

20 minutes from Marple to Stockport (and vice versa) at any time of day. Not bad, IMHO.

still not possible it wont happen .tiviot dale route was ideal in them days years ago .

[Steve Gribbon]

In an effort to find out which former railway line was meant by 'the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove line', I dropped an email to Cllr Smart's office, asking where Maple Grove is.

The reply doesn't answer my question, presumably because the councillors don't know either!  So you have to ask, why are our councillors asking the government to restore a rail line to a place if they don't know where it is?

However, the reply does include a clue: 'The Rose Hill to Stockport bid has now been included within round 3 of the Ideas Fund under the Ashton to Stockport line.  The Councillors will keep you updated with  any news.'  Which clearly suggests that the plan relates to the Guide Bridge to Stockport line, rather than any route via the Middlewood Way.

Good evening

Please bear with me whilst I have limited internet access. The term Maple Grove relates to the name given by the Department of Transport regarding a reinstatement bid for Rose Hill to Stockport. Rather than confusing matters and calling it something else it seems best practise to use the name provided by the DoT.

I hope this clarifies any uncertainty over why the letter had the name Marple Grove in.

Kind regards

Steve

[Dave]

Assuming, as the reply from Cllr Smart's office suggests, that the plan is connected to another plan to introduce or reinstate a line from Ashton to Stockport, then it won't go anywhere near High Lane or Hazel Grove, that's for sure.

Building a link between the Marple - Piccadilly line and the Stockport -Guide Bridge line at Reddish Vale is a well-worn topic around here - or it was a couple of years ago. I think I may have been a bit of lone voice in advocating it, but I still think it could work, and could provide a reasonably quick rail link between Marple and/ or Rose Hill, Romiley, Bredbury, Brinngton and Stockport, with the added bonus of reintroducing a proper rail service at Reddish South. 

A sample timing, derived from the actual times of current trains, works out like this:

Marple/ Rose Hill  08.00
Romiley               08.05
Bredbury             08.08
Brinnington          08.11
Reddish South      08.15
Stockport             08.20

20 minutes from Marple to Stockport (and vice versa) at any time of day. Not bad, IMHO.

[amazon]

Hard to imagine any route a train could take to Stockport that would be that quick a direct journey from Marple without it being a direct, mostly underground service (ha ha, like that would ever get built.) 

Just even finding a new route would be a major challenge.  The clearest route is going to be via High Lane and then connecting up near Hazel Grove, but even Hazel Grove station is 12 mins from Stockport by train currently.  Bus is 20 minutes outside rush hour and that's direct.  Train would be hard to compete in that respect.

The Bredbury bypass is not being built so this is pie in the sky .

[jimblob]

E-scooter on all the new bike lanes being forced onto us; ... be there in a jiffy and then you've your scooter at the other end because the train won't actually get you to where you need to go

[andrewbowden]

it'd be quicker to walk!

Hard to imagine any route a train could take to Stockport that would be that quick a direct journey from Marple without it being a direct, mostly underground service (ha ha, like that would ever get built.) 

Just even finding a new route would be a major challenge.  The clearest route is going to be via High Lane and then connecting up near Hazel Grove, but even Hazel Grove station is 12 mins from Stockport by train currently.  Bus is 20 minutes outside rush hour and that's direct.  Train would be hard to compete in that respect. 

[jimblob]

However, the reply does include a clue: 'The Rose Hill to Stockport bid has now been included within round 3 of the Ideas Fund under the Ashton to Stockport line.  The Councillors will keep you updated with  any news.'  Which clearly suggests that the plan relates to the Guide Bridge to Stockport line, rather than any route via the Middlewood Way.

it'd be quicker to walk!

[Dave]

In an effort to find out which former railway line was meant by 'the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove line', I dropped an email to Cllr Smart's office, asking where Maple Grove is.

The reply doesn't answer my question, presumably because the councillors don't know either!  So you have to ask, why are our councillors asking the government to restore a rail line to a place if they don't know where it is?

However, the reply does include a clue: 'The Rose Hill to Stockport bid has now been included within round 3 of the Ideas Fund under the Ashton to Stockport line.  The Councillors will keep you updated with  any news.'  Which clearly suggests that the plan relates to the Guide Bridge to Stockport line, rather than any route via the Middlewood Way.

[GM]

You couldn't really reinstate the middlewood way to highlane for a connection into Stockport.

It would need to now cross the bypass or skirt along the edge of the golf course and somehow join the main line before you get to the raised section at the rising sun.

Please for the love of any deity don't let them pour more money into the park and ride scam which was built and then sold off for housing.

[jimblob]

And setting aside that confusion of names, the letter refers to 'reinstating the Rose Hill to Maple Grove line' 'using existing track'.  Can anyone make any sense of that?

No, but seems a lot of effort and cost for a link only from Marple to Stockport... you can't then get to the airport for example from Stockport without going into Piccadilly first.... Lord Beeching has a lot to answer for!

[amazon]

It's all very confusing, but as far as I can see a ministerial decision is still awaited. Otherwise it would be pretty pointless two councillors sending this letter to the DfT a couple of weeks ago:

Dear Sir

We are writing in regard to the current Restoring Your Railways Idea Fund proposal to reinstate the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove Line, Stockport.

As we understand a decision on this is due shortly, we are writing in order to set out our strong support for this proposal on behalf of the residents we represent.

In particular, we are writing on behalf of 332 local residents who signed our petition in favour of carrying out a feasibility study for a rail link between Stockport and Marple or Rose Hill Station using existing track.

It is a long-standing frustration that Marple, Romiley, Bredbury and Woodley residents have no direct rail link to Stockport, this has caused frequent traffic problems, pollution and inconvenience to thousands of residents who live in this area.

We urge the Department for Transport to support the proposal to reinstate the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove Line, Stockport.

Yours sincerely
 
Cllr Stephen Gribbon      Cllr Lisa Smart
Liberal Democrat Councillor      Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bredbury Green & Romiley
for Marple North


As for Hazel Grove being 'incorrectly labelled' as Maple Grove, maybe a DfT bureaucrat in London might be confused about that, but surely our own local councillors wouldn't. Would they...........?

And setting aside that confusion of names, the letter refers to 'reinstating the Rose Hill to Maple Grove line' 'using existing track'.  Can anyone make any sense of that?

So were would this link go

[Dave]

In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between Rose Hill Marple, Hazel Grove and Stockport..... The bid was unsuccessful.

It's all very confusing, but as far as I can see a ministerial decision is still awaited. Otherwise it would be pretty pointless two councillors sending this letter to the DfT a couple of weeks ago:

Dear Sir

We are writing in regard to the current Restoring Your Railways Idea Fund proposal to reinstate the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove Line, Stockport.

As we understand a decision on this is due shortly, we are writing in order to set out our strong support for this proposal on behalf of the residents we represent.

In particular, we are writing on behalf of 332 local residents who signed our petition in favour of carrying out a feasibility study for a rail link between Stockport and Marple or Rose Hill Station using existing track.

It is a long-standing frustration that Marple, Romiley, Bredbury and Woodley residents have no direct rail link to Stockport, this has caused frequent traffic problems, pollution and inconvenience to thousands of residents who live in this area.

We urge the Department for Transport to support the proposal to reinstate the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove Line, Stockport.

Yours sincerely
 
Cllr Stephen Gribbon      Cllr Lisa Smart
Liberal Democrat Councillor      Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bredbury Green & Romiley
for Marple North


As for Hazel Grove being 'incorrectly labelled' as Maple Grove, maybe a DfT bureaucrat in London might be confused about that, but surely our own local councillors wouldn't. Would they...........?

And setting aside that confusion of names, the letter refers to 'reinstating the Rose Hill to Maple Grove line' 'using existing track'.  Can anyone make any sense of that?   

[jimblob]

scrap HS2, reinstate all 198 of them, employ thousands of people across the country, use British Steel. Also create new jobs when they're needing to be run!
no brainer i.m.h.o. and just about the best levelling up we could do!

In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for a feasibility study into reinstating the line between Rose Hill Marple, Hazel Grove and Stockport (although incorrectly labelled as Maple Grove in DfT document). The bid was unsuccessful.

[Dave]

I gather that Cllrs Gribbon and Smart, who also happen to be the two nominees to be LibDem parliamentary candidate for Hazel Grove, have written to the Department for Transport lobbying for a rail link to be established between Marple and Stockport. A subject dear to many of our hearts, of course........

I tried to attach a copy of the letter but the forum won't allow it. However, it's not long, and the essence of it is in the final paragraph, which ends: 'We urge the Department for Transport to support the proposal to reinstate the Rose Hill (Marple) to Maple Grove Line, Stockport'.

And you can find the bid (if you look hard enough!) among many others on this government website, which lists all the bids to the relevant scheme:  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/985354/restoring-your-railway-all-bids.csv/preview.

Can anyone work out the route of this proposed line? And does anyone know where Maple Grove is?