Marple railway station
Encyclopedia
Marple railway station serves Marple
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
, Greater Manchester
, England
. The other station serving Marple is Rose Hill railway station.
The train service and the station is provided by Northern Rail
and the line itself is operated by Network Rail
.
on the extension of its Hyde
branch to New Mills
, opening in 1862.
The line was built in conjunction with the Midland Railway
's extension of its line to Millers Dale
, thus it was also used by the latter's trains from London
to Manchester
Store Street (later called London Road, now Piccadilly). Until the Midland moved to Manchester Central, in 1880, as a member of the Cheshire Lines Committee
, Marple was where carriages for Liverpool
would be attached or detached.
At the time it had extensive station buildings - the Midland waiting room having upholstered seats and a coal fire in an attractive fireplace for cold winter days. It was rebuilt in 1970, with the MS&L facilities being demolished, and new brick buildings replacing the Midland's offices.
From Marple to Romiley
, the line passes through Marple Tunnel to the junction with the short branch to Rose Hill Marple
then over the 308 yards (281.6 m) long stone viaduct that crosses the River Goyt and the Peak Forest Canal
. The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey
. Alongside the viaduct is the Marple Aqueduct
, which carries the Peak Forest Canal, over the River Goyt.
It has been said that Agatha Christie used the name of the station for her character "Miss Marple" as she frequently passed through the station when visiting her family at Abney Hall.
, whilst the others omit some or most of the intermediate stations en-route. These all run via Bredbury
- passenger wishing to travel over the original route via Hyde
have to change trains at Romiley. There are two services per hour eastwards to New Mills (although not at even intervals) and a two-hourly extension along the Hope Valley to Sheffield (this increases to hourly on Saturdays).
Sundays see a two-hourly service in each direction.
Tickets to and from Rose Hill are valid on board all Manchester Piccadilly bound trains from Marple Station/.
From December 2010, 1 of the present 3tph from Marple to Manchester Piccadilly will be diverted to start at Rose Hill (xx52 to Manchester Piccadilly).
bid, which would see 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, Marple would have seen an increase to four services per hour in both directions throughout the day to Manchester Piccadilly.
The line would have effectively been run as a metro-style operation, offering users of Marple and other stations along the route the ease of showing up without needing to know exact departure times. However, no "station improvements" are planned, despite the comparatively high usage of this suburban station.
The rejection of the TIF plans in a public referendum in December 2008 has left the future of the scheme in serious doubt (GMPTE having decided to no longer pursue the proposals following the 'No' vote) and as such further service improvements are unlikely in the short term.
Marple, Greater Manchester
Marple is a small town within the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Goyt southeast of Stockport.Historically part of Cheshire, Marple has a population of 23,480 .-Toponymy:...
, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
The Metropolitan Borough of Stockport is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in north west England, centred around the town of Stockport. It has a population of about 280,600 and includes the outyling areas of Cheadle and Cheadle Hulme, Marple, Bredbury, Reddish and Romiley...
, Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The other station serving Marple is Rose Hill railway station.
The train service and the station is provided by Northern Rail
Northern Rail
Northern Rail is a British train operating company that has operated local passenger services in Northern England since 2004. Northern Rail's owner, Serco-Abellio, is a consortium formed of Abellio and Serco, an international operator of public transport systems...
and the line itself is operated by Network Rail
Network Rail
Network Rail is the government-created owner and operator of most of the rail infrastructure in Great Britain .; it is not responsible for railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland...
.
History
It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayManchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway
The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
on the extension of its Hyde
Hyde, Greater Manchester
Hyde is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, Greater Manchester, England. As of the 2001 census, the town had a population of 31,253. Historically part of Cheshire, it is northeast of Stockport, west of Glossop and east of Manchester....
branch to New Mills
New Mills Central railway station
New Mills Central railway station serves the town of New Mills in Derbyshire, England. It is on the Hope Valley Line between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield...
, opening in 1862.
The line was built in conjunction with the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
's extension of its line to Millers Dale
Millers Dale railway station
Millers Dale railway station was a station situated in Millers Dale in the Peak District. It was built in 1863 by the Midland Railway on its extension of the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midlands Junction Railway from Rowsley....
, thus it was also used by the latter's trains from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Store Street (later called London Road, now Piccadilly). Until the Midland moved to Manchester Central, in 1880, as a member of the Cheshire Lines Committee
Cheshire Lines Committee
The Cheshire Lines Committee was the second largest joint railway in Great Britain, with 143 route miles. Despite its name, approximately 55% of its system was in Lancashire. In its publicity material it was often styled as the Cheshire Lines Railway...
, Marple was where carriages for Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
would be attached or detached.
At the time it had extensive station buildings - the Midland waiting room having upholstered seats and a coal fire in an attractive fireplace for cold winter days. It was rebuilt in 1970, with the MS&L facilities being demolished, and new brick buildings replacing the Midland's offices.
From Marple to Romiley
Romiley railway station
Romiley railway station serves Romiley, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England.It was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway on its extension to New Mills, opening in 1862 from Manchester....
, the line passes through Marple Tunnel to the junction with the short branch to Rose Hill Marple
Rose Hill Marple railway station
Rose Hill Marple railway station is one of two stations serving Marple, in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, the other being Marple railway station....
then over the 308 yards (281.6 m) long stone viaduct that crosses the River Goyt and the Peak Forest Canal
Peak Forest Canal
The Peak Forest Canal, is a narrow locked artificial waterway in northern England. It is long and forms part of the connected English/Welsh inland waterway network.-General description:...
. The River Goyt is a tributary of the River Mersey
River Mersey
The River Mersey is a river in North West England. It is around long, stretching from Stockport, Greater Manchester, and ending at Liverpool Bay, Merseyside. For centuries, it formed part of the ancient county divide between Lancashire and Cheshire....
. Alongside the viaduct is the Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct
Marple Aqueduct, also known as the Grand Aqueduct, carries the lower level of the Peak Forest Canal across the River Goyt at Marple, Greater Manchester, in north-west England....
, which carries the Peak Forest Canal, over the River Goyt.
It has been said that Agatha Christie used the name of the station for her character "Miss Marple" as she frequently passed through the station when visiting her family at Abney Hall.
Services
The station is well served by trains to and from Manchester Piccadilly on weekdays, with three services per hour for much of the day. One serves all local stations as far as AshburysAshburys railway station
This article refers to the ex Great Central Railway station in Manchester; for the similarly named former LSWR station in Devon see Ashbury railway station.Ashburys railway station in Openshaw serves Beswick and West Gorton in Manchester, England...
, whilst the others omit some or most of the intermediate stations en-route. These all run via Bredbury
Bredbury railway station
Bredbury railway station serves Bredbury in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester.It was built by the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee in 1875 on the line between New Mills and Manchester London Road ....
- passenger wishing to travel over the original route via Hyde
Hyde Central railway station
Hyde Central railway station is the main station serving Hyde, Greater Manchester, England.Originally simply Hyde, it was built by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, opening in 1858 as a branch from its main line through Penistone to Sheffield. From 1862 the branch was extended to...
have to change trains at Romiley. There are two services per hour eastwards to New Mills (although not at even intervals) and a two-hourly extension along the Hope Valley to Sheffield (this increases to hourly on Saturdays).
Sundays see a two-hourly service in each direction.
Tickets to and from Rose Hill are valid on board all Manchester Piccadilly bound trains from Marple Station/.
From December 2010, 1 of the present 3tph from Marple to Manchester Piccadilly will be diverted to start at Rose Hill (xx52 to Manchester Piccadilly).
Future
As part of Manchester's Transport Innovation Fund (TIF)Transport Innovation Fund (TIF)
The Transport Innovation Fund was a transport funding mechanism in England, that has been replaced by the Urban Challenge Fund in March 2010. Its creation was announced by Her Majesty's Government in the July 2004 White Paper, ’The Future of Transport’...
bid, which would see a weekday peak time congestion charge
Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund (TiF)
The Greater Manchester Transport Innovation Fund was a failed bid by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority and Association of Greater Manchester Authorities to secure £1.5 billion from the Transport Innovation Fund , a major public transport funding mechanism in England, for the...
introduced on roads into the city centre in order for a £3bn injection into the region's public transport, Marple would have seen an increase to four services per hour in both directions throughout the day to Manchester Piccadilly.
The line would have effectively been run as a metro-style operation, offering users of Marple and other stations along the route the ease of showing up without needing to know exact departure times. However, no "station improvements" are planned, despite the comparatively high usage of this suburban station.
The rejection of the TIF plans in a public referendum in December 2008 has left the future of the scheme in serious doubt (GMPTE having decided to no longer pursue the proposals following the 'No' vote) and as such further service improvements are unlikely in the short term.