Etruria railway station
Etruria | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Staffordshire |
| Managed by | North Staffordshire Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Key dates | |
| 9 October 1848 | Opened |
| 30 September 2005 | Closed |
Etruria station is a closed station in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, which served the areas of Etruria and the larger district of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It closed on 30 September 2005.[1]
The station was opened 9 October 1848 by the North Staffordshire Railway and was modified by it in the 1870s, when the Potteries Loop Line was constructed. The station was an island platform situated underneath a bridge carrying the A53, approximately one mile north of Stoke-on-Trent station. Its train services were suspended in May 2003 during the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line. Central Trains did not restart services to Etruria when the work was finished and continued with bustitution although First North Western reintroduced a limited service, beyond what was contractually required.
After already low passenger numbers dwindled even further, closure was proposed by the Strategic Rail Authority in February 2004. The closure was granted approval by the Department for Transport on 21 July 2005.[2] The final train was Northern Rail unit 323226 which left at 07.16 to Manchester Piccadilly. The closure was condemned by Transport 2000.[1]
The platforms and steps were still there as of May 2007 although signage and platform objects were removed in June 2006.
As of December 2008, nothing remains of Etruria station that would be noticed by the casual observer, the platform having been demolished to permit the straightening of the track and remove a 60mph speed restriction to allow trains to run at 85 mph southbound and 90 mph northbound.
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Line and station open | North Staffordshire Railway | Line and station open |
||
| North Staffordshire Railway | ||||
| North Staffordshire Railway Sandbach to Stoke Line | ||||
Line and station closed | North Staffordshire Railway |
References
- ^ a b "Last train departs from station". BBC News. 30 September 2005. Retrieved 16 December 2009.
- ^ "Proposal to close Etruria station". Department for Transport. 21 July 2005. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008.
External links
- Guardian.co.uk: Last train to Etruria
- BBC Stoke & Staffordshire - 360° view of Etruria Station