After arranging a petition, launching a Councillor Call for Action, calling an extraordinary Area Committee Meeting with transport officials and resolving to fund a rail service themselves, local Liberal Democrats are delighted to hear that the government have now climbed down and instructed Northern Trains to reverse its decision to cease service on the Rose Hill, Marple line.
It has now been announced that Northern will be instructed to run a partial service at peak times from Monday 14th September.
Bredbury Green and Romiley councillor Lisa Smart, initiator of the Councillor Call for Action and Lib Dem spokesperson for Hazel Grove said:
“I am delighted to see that our pressure has made the government see sense and exercise the power it had all along to require Northern to continue to deliver a much needed service on this vital line. Whilst it is disappointing that the full service will not be delivered, this is far better than what we were facing only a few weeks ago. Along with my Lib Dem colleagues in Marple and Woodley I will continue to campaign for a return to the full service as soon as possible.
“I want to thank local residents for responding to our petition and supporting our campaign. The strength of feeling they have shown has gone a long way towards making the government finally do the right thing and helped us secure a guarantee that the line will not be closed down in the future. This just goes to show how strong our community can be when we work together – next time I hope Northern will think twice before trying to remove services from our area.”
Craig Wright, founder of Friends of Marple Station, said:
“I am so proud of our local community. My heartfelt thanks go to everyone who got involved in the campaign and to our local councillors for taking action that put pressure on the minister to change his mind and to our local councillors for taking the action that finally pushed the minister to change his mind and use the power he has to stop Northern from closing the line for 3 months.”