Styal Line

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Styal Line
BHF KBFa
Manchester Piccadilly
STRlf ABZlg
ABZlf
To Hope Valley Line
STR
STRrg ABZrf
To Stafford to Manchester Line,
STR STR
Crewe to Manchester Line and Buxton Line
HST
Mauldeth Road
HST
Burnage
HST
East Didsbury
HST
Gatley
HST
Heald Green
STRrg ABZrd
Spur to Manchester Airport
KBFe STR
Manchester Airport
FLUG STR
HST
Styal
STRlf ABZlg
To Crewe to Manchester Line
BHF
Wilmslow

The Styal Line is a railway line in south Manchester and north-east Cheshire. It runs from Slade Lane Junction, some 2 km south of Manchester Piccadilly, to Wilmslow. There also is a spur to Manchester Airport. The line is an early commuter line running through many suburban stations. It was electrified in 1959 as part of the West Coast Main Line electrification scheme but ironically most of the trains now using the line are diesel powered. The branch to the airport leaves the Styal Line via a triangular junction between Heald Green and Styal.

Services are currently operated by:

[edit] History

In early 1900s the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport became unable to cope with the increasing traffic. To solve the problem, a new route avoiding Stockport was laid out from Slade Lane Junction (located in Longsight, Manchester) to Wilmslow through what was then a rural area. The primary purpose was to provide a bypass for express trains, but a few wooden stations were built on the line to encourage suburban development.
The line opened in 1909. The Manchester Airport spur was added in 1993 (initially towards Heald Green only, the link towards Styal was added a few years later)

[edit] External links