Nothing.
Would Manchester via the mid Cheshire not be highly circuitous though? Surely it'd be quicker to change at sandbach/Crewe for Stockport/Manchester? And would the single line sections between Altrincham and Stockport not present a challenge as well?
Is it not the case that a certain TOC has aspirations of a Birmingham to Manchester Airport service via Crewe that will pass through Sandbach station?
People like a direct train, it wouldn't be a fast trip, but I suppose passengers from Northwich and Middlewich (is there a Southwich?) would have the choice of a slow direct train or a potentially faster train changing at Sandbach.
How could they serve middlewich though? Unfortunately, the airport western link is non existent.
You could either split from a Chester at say Northwich, or fantasy idea here, run into victoria via Denton
That adds a crossing move at Heaton Norris, still not that easy.
Doesnt the limited peak extras do this however empty? That would be the ideal path to use as well going down the mid Cheshire, only running instead from Crewe instead of Chester.
Middlewich as I understand it is currently quite poorly served by public transport. I'm sure many a person who would either prefer not to drive, or is unable to would appreciate a service.
It certainly wouldn't be cheap!
If there was a perceived demand for better public transport in the Middlewich area, one would have expected the bus companies to have already provided it.
Your last point is likely to be a significant factor, as Crewe, Sandbach and Northwich stations are all poorly sited for their respective town centres. In addition, there is significant traffic from the Vale Royal area to Leighton Hospital on the northwestern edge of Crewe, for which bus services are the only viable public transport option.
Evening and Sunday services are poor (or non-existent) but Middlewich has direct weekday bus links to Sandbach, Crewe, Winsford and Northwich. Which actually go to the town centres!
It's also Cheshire east. I think it is in the bottom 3 councils for bus ridership despite generally having a lot of rail usage where it exists. With the exception of maybe Congleton, where a station exists in Cheshire, it is generally better served transport wise via train than bus for interurban trips
This isn't to say it couldn't be a catalyst for newer investment. And don't forget about inward travel towards middlewich. It has a large industrial area next to the ideal location for a new station. Late/early trains will therefore make employment there much more accessible for shift workers than the bus would.
Currently, is it not the case that the referred-to shift workers who travel inwards to the large industrial area travel by car from a wide number of locations from where there is no planned rail access to Middlewich which will have services operating at times to suit the working shift times of those workers?
Linking the mid Cheshire and crewe-manchester lines would mean large portions of Cheshire would be connected with a change at sandbach. Commuters don't often care about direct trains
I have no idea why the line speed is 25mph but this could simply be reduced maintenance on a currently freight only line to save money.
Its a bit more knackered than that. Its not a freight only line, its open to anything that wants to use it.
A quick flick through the sectional appendix shows:
I bow to your knowledge of the "knackered" state of the line.
If time was of such concern, it may end up that it's quicker changing crewe onto an Avanti/tfw would be faster. As well, such a scheme would likely take a few years even if started today. Northerns 15x fleet is due for retirement soon and to be replaced with more modern, and potentially faster excelerating units.
Potentially. It's 7 mins from Crewe to Sandbach, so add 5-6 mins on for Middlewich and you're still giving yourself decvent layover at each end for an hourly service with only 1 unit required.