Middlewich railway station

Middlewich
Location of the former station (2017)
Location
Place	Middlewich
Area	Cheshire East
Grid reference	SJ707664
Operations
Original company	London and North Western Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways
Platforms	2
History
1 July 1868	Opened
4 January 1960	Closed to passengers
27 November 1967	Closed to freight
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

Middlewich railway station served the Cheshire, England, salt-producing town of Middlewich between 1868 and 1960. It lay on a branch line from Sandbach to Northwich. The Mid Cheshire Rail Users' Association is campaigning for the reopening of the line to passenger traffic, and the construction of a new station at Middlewich.

The branch line and Middlewich station were built by the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) during 1867-1868. The railway line was completed in November 1867 and was initially used by goods trains. The station was completed later and was opened for passenger use on 1 July 1868.

The basic train service for passengers was from Crewe via Sandbach to Middlewich and Northwich. Some trains reversed at Northwich and then continued to Hartford and Greenbank and then along a short stretch of the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to Acton Bridge.

The July 1922 LNWR branch line service comprised nine Crewe to Northwich trains, of which five continued to Acton Bridge. There was an additional morning train from and to Crewe that reversed at Middlewich.

In 1885, the LNWR initiated a through carriage on weekdays from Manchester Oxford Road via Northwich to Middlewich and on to London Euston. The July 1922 railway timetable shows this departing Manchester at 1030am and picking passengers up at major stations to Northwich, calling at Middlewich at 1130am. The carriage reached Crewe at 1150am, where the steam loco detached and the carriage was attached to a Liverpool to Euston express, reaching the capital at 3.10pm. The northbound service left Euston at 2.30pm, reaching Middlewich at 6.10pm. The service to Euston had ceased by World War Two.