Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 4, 2013

Cheadle Hulme railway station is an open triangular railway station serving Cheadle Hulme in Greater Manchester, England. It is located on the West Coast Main Line and is included in Network Rail Route 20 (North West Urban). The station is in Cheadle Hulme's District Centre and is operated by Northern Rail. Cheadle Hulme's first railway station opened in 1842, when the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to Crewe was completed. With the extension of the line to Macclesfield (and later Stoke-on-Trent), a new station opened in 1845 which has served the area since. The railway had a major impact on the area, transforming it from a collection of small hamlets into a suburb of over 29,000 people. The station remains an important part of the community, and is regularly discussed in local community meetings (known as the Cheadle Hulme Partnership). It is staffed part-time; there are no facilities other than waiting rooms and the ticket office; the closest station with more facilities is Stockport. In 2011 a major building programme was carried out, with the construction of pedestrian bridges linking all four platforms, and lifts enabling some disabled access.