Norton Bridge is a village in
Staffordshire
Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...
, England. Until May 2004 it was served by
Norton Bridge railway station.
Amenities
At present, Norton Bridge has very few amenities for residents. There is a children's park which has been recently upgraded. In addition to the park there is St Luke's which is a small church/village hall and a postbox. Also, Norton Bridge's only public house, "The Railway Inn" has now reopened and serves locally brewed beer.
Norton Bridge rail crash
The Norton Bridge rail crash occurred on 16 October 2003. An
intermodal train hauled by two
Freightliner Class 86 (86631 and 86611) locomotives collided with another stationary freight train, after
passing a red signal. The cabs of the leading locomotive were badly damaged but the driver escaped with only minor injuries, although he had to be cut from the wreckage by the fire brigade.
Norton Bridge Junction
Norton Bridge Junction is where trains towards
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent (often abbreviated to Stoke) is a city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Staffordshire, England. It has an estimated population of 259,965 as of 2022, making it the largest settlement in Staffordshire ...
and
Manchester Piccadilly
Manchester Piccadilly is the main railway station of the city of Manchester, in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester, England. Opened originally as Store Street in 1842, it was renamed Manchester London Road in 1847 and became Manchest ...
are routed away from the
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. The primary uses of this route are the
West Midlands Trains
West Midlands Trains (WMT) is a British train operating company. It operates passenger trains on the West Midlands franchise between London and the English Midlands under two trading names: within the West Midlands region as West Midlands Rai ...
service from
London Euston
Euston railway station ( ; or London Euston) is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station managed by Network Rail in the London Borough of Camden. It is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line ...
to
Crewe
Crewe () is a railway town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census, the parish had a population of 55,318 and the built-up area had a population of 74,120. ...
via Stoke-on-Trent and the
CrossCountry
CrossCountry (legal name XC Trains Limited) is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains, operating the current CrossCountry franchise.
The CrossCountry franchise was restructured by the Department for Transport (DfT) in 2006, ...
services between the South Coast and Southwest and Manchester Piccadilly via
Birmingham New Street
Birmingham New Street, also known as New Street station, is the largest and busiest of the three main railway stations in Birmingham city centre, England, and a central hub of the British railway system. It is a major destination for Avanti ...
. No regular freight service uses this route.
In 2014 construction commenced on a scheme which takes the form of a diversionary route and flyover. The new route commences just north of
Great Bridgeford and runs slightly west of the West Coast Main Line. The route then swings eastward on a new flyover located just north of the present Norton Bridge Junction to rejoin the existing route to Stoke-on-Trent. The new junction was commissioned over the Easter 2016 weekend, 18 months ahead of schedule.
See also
*
Listed buildings in Chebsey
*
List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom
This lists significant accidents involving railway rolling stock, including crashes, fires and incidents of crew being overcome by locomotive emissions. Other railway-related incidents such as the King's Cross fire of 1987 or the 7 July 2005 Lon ...
*
West Coast Main Line route modernisation
The West Coast Main Line is a key strategic railway line in the United Kingdom. It links the cities of London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle. Virgin Trains took on the franchise to run train servic ...
References
External links
Villages in Staffordshire
Borough of Stafford
Railway accidents in 2003
2003 in England
2003 disasters in the United Kingdom
Train collisions in England
Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger
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