From the south, trains would arrive both from Marple, on the Hope Valley line from Sheffield, and Rose Hill Marple from Macclesfield. The MB&MR line was closed south of Rose Hill to Macclesfield in January 1970; this line had been recommended for closure in the 1963 Beeching Report. The short branch to Rose Hill itself was reprieved by the then Minister of Transport Richard Marsh in 1969, when granting permission to close the rest of the route.[3]
To the north, the line split in three ways. Initially, it just ran through to Woodley to join the original MS&L line at Hyde Junction, leading on to Manchester London Road. In 1875, a more direct route to Manchester was opened through Reddish. A further branch, opened in 1869, led to Stockport Tiviot Dale station; at one time, this route carried through trains between Derby and Manchester Central[4] but it was closed to passenger services in January 1967 and much of the line was lifted in 1983.
Facilities
Romiley railway station
The station was built above street level; its platforms extend over the B6104 road. It has a spiral staircase, which once had a glass-roofed dome. The booking hall (staffed 06:20-20:45 weekdays and 07:10-21:35 Saturdays) and offices are on the first floor, with a subway and stairs to the platforms. Ramps are also available for wheelchair users.
The station has a long line public address system providing automated announcements and digital information displays to offer train running details (these can also be obtained by phone or from timetable posters).[5]
Service
On Mondays to Fridays, there are generally four trains per hour northbound to Manchester Piccadilly (two via Guide Bridge and two via Brinnington); southbound, two trains per hour go towards Marple (one to New Mills Central and the other through to Sheffield) and two per hour to Rose Hill Marple.[6]
On Saturdays, there is a similar level of service to Manchester and Marple / Rose Hill Marple, with an hourly service to Sheffield.
On Sundays, there is only an hourly service each way to Manchester Piccadilly and to Sheffield; there is no service to and from Rose Hill.
Future
As part of Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid, which would have seen a weekday peak time congestion charge introduced on roads into the city centre in order for a £3bn injection into the region's public transport, it had been announced that Marple railway station would have seen an increase to four services per hour in both directions throughout the day to Manchester Piccadilly.
This would therefore have meant an increase to five services per hour at Romiley, with possibility for more, should services from Rose Hill have been increased as discussed. The line would have effectively been run as a 'turn up and go' operation, offering users of stations along the route the ease of showing up without generally needing to know exact departure times.
Romiley railway station was also planned to become an official TIF Park & Ride interchange under the proposals, which faced a public referendum in December 2008. These were rejected by a substantial margin [7] and the plans were eventually dropped in the spring of 2010.
References
^"Romiley platform upgrades". The Railway Magazine. No. 1451. February 2022. p. 74.
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