Fiona
Bruce MP meets with Network Rail and Friends of Goostrey Station Group
Fiona Bruce MP arranged
for representatives from Goostrey Parish Council and Friends of Goostrey
Station (FOGS) and Network Rail to meet last week to discuss the future of
Goostrey Railway Station.
The FOGS group
have been working for some time to maintain and improve the aspect of Goostrey
Station and want to ensure that the old wooden ticket office building, one of
the last of its kind in the country is restored for potential use by the
community or for commercial purposes.
Meeting with
Network Rail it was agreed that the possibility of doing remedial works such as
cleaning out the guttering of the ticket office would be considered for action
whilst the electricity is switched off for upcoming line works. It was also
mooted that assistance with the long term preservation of the ticket office
could be sought through the Railway Heritage Trust.
Peter Godfrey of FOGS said “The
Parish Council and The Friends of Goostrey Station are very disappointed that
Northern Rail will not be restoring the Old Ticket Office to the condition it
was at the start of their franchise. We are still hoping that emergency
maintenance can be done between 13th and 24th February when the Crewe to
Manchester line will be closed for major viaduct repairs. This line closure
provides a unique chance to maintain the building which is normally too close
to the high speed trains for work to be done safely. The gutter over the canopy
is full of weeds and badly needs unblocking and the fringe on the canopy needs
painting to improve its appearance and preserve the wood. Neither of these jobs
can be done when trains are running."
Fiona Bruce MP said “FOGS
has made remarkable progress during the time it has been established but there
are certain structural issues which such a group needs support with, hence the
importance of engaging with Network Rail.”
