- Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP visits Stoke-on-Trent to discuss major investment plans to improve local public transport.
- Jack Brereton MP today championed the importance of rail improvements for the south of the city both at Longton Station and at the site of the proposed Meir Station.
- Jack Brereton MP and the Rail Minister also visit the Goods Yard development; one of the latest projects to be funded under the Government’s levelling-up fund.
Jack Brereton was pleased to welcome Rail Minister Huw Merriman MP this week as he expressed the importance of investing in Stoke-on-Trent’s railway network. As part of the visit around Stoke-on-Trent, the Rail Minister was joined by Avanti Westcoast and Jack Brereton MP as they talked about further improvements to the local rail facilities.
The visit began with the Rail Minister joining Jack Brereton at Stoke Station as they took a tour throughout the city’s main railway hub, discussing the importance of further enhancing services for North Staffordshire and improving station facilities.
The Minister and Jack Brereton then proceeded to visit The Goods Yard, a large new development near to the station. The new mixed use development only made possible thanks to the Government’s levelling-up funding will bring a host of new uses to the area, including shops, bars, new homes, co-working spaces, and a hotel.
Jack Brereton and the Rail Minister then moved on to Longton, to look at plans to improve Longton Station, the key public transport asset which was recently granted part of the £36.4 Million Transforming Cities Fund in order to improve accessibility to the station and wider town centre.
Later in the visit, the Minister and Jack Brereton toured the proposed site for the re-opening of Meir Station, a key project which Jack has been working on to re-open as part of the Restoring Your Railways Programme. Jack also discussed his work to move forwards plans to undertake a Strategic Outline Business case assessment to reopen Trentham Station.
Commenting on the visit, Jack Brereton said:
“I was pleased to welcome Rail Minister Huw Merriman to Stoke-on-Trent this week as we discussed Stoke-on-Trent’s ambitions plans to improve local transport and deliver investment our city needs. This has included visiting proposed site for re-opening Meir Station as well as Longton Station where accessibility improvements are planned.
Investing in rail services in Stoke-on-Trent will support local residents and visitors to get around more easily, enabling people to access better work and skills opportunities. This is particularly important for communities like Meir where car ownership is very low, roads are congested, and lack of effective public transport is a major barrier.
We have been hugely successful in attracting new investment to help improve local transport and help regenerate key sites. Around £100 million of transport improvements through the Transforming Cities Fund and Bus Service Improvement Fund to deliver local bus and rail improvements. £56 million through the Levelling up Fund to help regenerate key sites, which is more than any other area of the country.
It was good to be able to show the Minister directly some of the plans coming to fruition, including at the Goods Yard and Stoke-on-Trent Station. The Government funded levelling-up project at the Goods Yard is bringing new homes, working spaces, bars and shops to the Potteries, whilst also retaining much of the historical character of the original buildings on the site.”
Commenting, Rail Minister Huw Merriman said:
“I am spending August travelling the length and breadth of the country by our brilliant rail network, seeing first-hand how existing stations are benefitting communities, and looking at others bidding for further funding.
“I want to deliver a thriving, accessible and reliable railway for everyone and it was a pleasure to visit Stoke-On-Trent this week to listen and discuss their ambitious plans to improve rail journeys across the region even further.”
