Place Macclesfield Grid reference SJ918741 Platforms in use 3 | Area Cheshire East July 13, 1849 (1849-07-13) Opened | |
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Pre-grouping North Staffordshire Railway & London and North Western Railway Post-grouping London, Midland and Scottish Railway Similar Broxton railway station, Middlewood Higher railway st, Hassall Green railway st, Balderton railway station, Mickle Trafford railway st | ||
Macclesfield Hibel Road railway station was a railway station serving the town of Macclesfield in Cheshire, England. It was opened as a joint station by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) on 13 July 1849 with the opening of the NSR route to Uttoxeter via North Rode and Leek and it replaced an earlier, temporary, LNWR station at Beech Bridge. Built right at the point where the track of the two companies made an end-on junction, the station was managed by a joint committee of the two companies.
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With the opening of the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway in 1871 the NSR opened a new station less than 500 yards (457 m) further south called Macclesfield Central. It had been hoped that the new line could run into Hibel Road but the LNWR objected to this and neither would the LNWR agree to share Central station.
Both stations remained open until 1960 when the decision was taken by British Rail to concentrate services on a redeveloped Central station. The refurbished Central station, now renamed simply Macclesfield, opened on 7 November 1960 and on the same day Hibel Road closed. The site of Hibel Road station has now been redeveloped.
Passenger train services
LNWR services to/from Manchester London Road terminated at Hibel Road but if they continued to Stoke-on-Trent via Congleton then many stopped at Central as well. NSR services either on the main line to Stoke or via the Churnet Valley line used both stations. Express trains between Euston and Manchester tended only to use Hibel Road.
Freight traffic
The area around the station was very cramped. To the south of the station was the NSR goods yard, which dealt mostly with coal for Macclesfield Gas Works. North of the station was the LNWR goods yard and the NSR Motive power depot (MPD). As the track north of the station was LNWR owned the NSR could only access its engine shed using running powers over the LNWR track.