Report by News Editor

NICK HALLISSEY

IT will be a brief glimpse of Middlewich for Dave Roberts - but one that is very worthwhile indeed.

Next Sunday, November 13, Dave and friends from the Middlewich Rail Link Campaign will be making a train journey.

What's unusual about it? It will take them through Middlewich, on the town's long-abandoned branch line, outlining for them and for other people the importance of reopening the line.

"We are sincerely looking forward to it," said Dave, who is the campaign chairman.

"Of course, there's a margin for error and it might not happen, but as far as we know, the Chester train will leave Crewe at 12.12pm, heading towards Middlewich.

"It will be the first time we have done this, and we hope it will highlight the importance of the campaign, even though we shan't be stopping in Middlewich."

The branch line will reopen each Sunday between November 14 and December 12, while engineering work goes on along the track which would normally be used.

The campaigners want to use the journey to highlight the drastic need for a station in Middlewich.

The journey will help to launch a survey compiled recently by the campaign committee, in which the people of Middlewich were asked for their views on the need for the branch line to reopen.

Although the results are not all in, Dave and his team are predicting a massive surge of support.

"The fact remains that Middlewich is the only town of any size in Cheshire which doesn't have a train station, so obviously the need for a station is there and people feel it," Dave added.

"At a time when the government wants people off the roads and onto rails, this makes such firm economic sense that it can't be ignored."

Middlewich station closed in 1959. Plans for a new station are in limbo at the moment, but railway operators Railtrack will look at reopening the line, if a formal approach is made.

Spokesman Keith Lumley added: "Our position is that we understand the work of the campaigners, and have agreed not to develop Middlewich station, or to free it up for development, in case they make a viable business case for reopening the line."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.