Work to upgrade station delayed by six months

A train company has confirmed that work to upgrade a Cheshire railway station on the West Coast Main Line will be delayed by six months.

Work to improve the entrance and upgrade the ticket office at Macclesfield Station began last November and was supposed to have been completed in the spring but Avanti West Coast has now said it will now not be completed until the autumn.

Richard Slater, the managing director of Henbury Travel travel agents in the town, said: "People want to get a drink or buy a newspaper but there's nowhere to get refreshments, so it is very disappointing that the gateway to the town is being disrupted."

Avanti West Coast said: "We're continuing to work closely with our contractors to deliver the redevelopment works at Macclesfield station and would like to thank customers for their patience and understanding."

The operator added: "Parts of the project are nearing completion and we're looking forward to welcoming customers and the community into the new station environment soon, which will provide an improved gateway to the town.

"We know many people are keen to understand when the work will be finished and work is expected to be completed in autumn."

Slater added: "We're sending people on holidays using rail and the delay is disappointing because there's not a reason for it to take so long to upgrade the station."

The £2 million upgrade work also includes a new waiting room, a retail unit, toilets while automatic numberplate recognition technology will be introduced for drivers who use the station car park.

Major work took place to realign the railway tracks and create a single Macclesfield station in 1960, which involved the demolition of the old Victorian building.

Ellen Haslam, who has lived in Macclesfield all her life, said: "I prefer the old Victorian station and I remember it being demolished.

"I use Macclesfield station three times a week and you can't get refreshments because this work is going on.", added the 71 year-old.

There were 1,486,408 entries and exits at Macclesfield station in 2024/25, which was a 10 per cent increase on the previous year.