Leek | |
---|---|
General information | |
Location | Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands England |
Coordinates | 53°06′01″N 2°01′58″W / 53.1003°N 2.0329°W |
Grid reference | SJ978559 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Opened | 13 July 1849[1] |
Closed | 4 January 1965[1] |
Original company | North Staffordshire Railway |
Post-grouping | |
Key dates | |
3 July 1970 | Closed to freight |
Leek railway station served the town of Leek, Staffordshire. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1849.[2] Passenger services to Uttoxeter were withdrawn in 1965, with complete closure following in 1970. For a short time in 1961–62, special football excursions (the Stanley Matthews Express) were arranged to Stoke following the return of Stanley Matthews to Stoke City FC.
Leek had a substantial station and goods yard, but competition from road transport led to the withdrawal of services to Stoke-on-Trent in 1956 and the remaining passenger services to Uttoxeter in 1965. Freight workings continued until 1970.[2]
The site of the station is now occupied by a Morrisons supermarket,[3] although the road bridge is still in situ between the latter's car park and petrol station.
See also: Leek (Churnet Valley) railway station |
In 2009, Moorlands and City Railways Ltd (MCR) bought the 20 miles of railway line from Stoke in the west-direction of Leek, with a view to reconnect Leek with the national network.[4]
A new station could be constructed in Leek, possibly on the Cornhill development on the outskirts of the town, although the MCR would prefer a station closer to the town centre.[5][6] Following its initial refusal of planning permission in September 2014, Moorlands District Council accepted a second proposal which would see a station provided next to the 17-acre Barnfield Industrial Estate in Cornhill, on a site previously occupied by Hughes Concrete Products.[7] The new station would become the Churnet Valley Railway's northern terminus and the headquarters of the MCR.[7] The ¾-mile extension from Leek Brook would be funded by the sale of land within a triangle at Leekbrook for housing.[7]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Rudyard Line and station closed |
North Staffordshire Railway Churnet Valley line |
Leek Brook Line and station closed |