Midcheshire Independent Issue 186

DECEMBER 2025 14 0161 566 2684 Restaurant & Takeaway For traditional cuisine from Bangladesh & India fusion of Asian dishes Free Delivery Within 3 miles radius. Minimum order £20.00 (15% discount on collection) Unlicensed Restaurant Bring your own alcohol Only wine and bottle beer (no cans please) Free Car Park Register online & collect loyalty points savaanarestaurant.co.uk The Wycliffe Hotel (OFF St Lesmo Rd) 74 Edgeley Road, Stockport SK3 9NQ Opens 17th June from 4.30pm PASSENGERS using the North West’s busiest railway station are being given advance notice of once-in-a-generation track and signalling upgrades taking place next year. The vast scale of the work spanning all main lines means no trains from the south and east of the city will run into Manchester Piccadilly for nine days over February half term (Saturday 14 – Sunday 22). Some trains from across the north will also be impacted during the essen- tial upgrades as well as direct connec- tions to Manchester Airport station. Services normally running to and from Manchester Piccadilly will terminate at other stations, including Stockport. While the train shed (platforms 1-12) will close, Manchester Piccadilly’s con- course will remain open to the public. There will be a limited service west- bound from platforms 13 and 14. Staff will be on hand to coordinate bus and Metrolink Bee Network journeys. Network Rail is investing £7.9million to improve tracks, points and signalling systems on the southern approach to Manchester Piccadilly station which date back to the 1980s. Teams will replace 11 sets of points, renew 9,000m of cabling, upgrade timber sleepers with modern concrete equivalents and bring lineside equip- ment bang up to date across six lines. THE latest phase in the £2million redevelopment of Macclesfield’s railway station is now underway. Focused on improvements to the main station building, Avanti West Coast says the work is designed to enhance customer experience and cre- ate a ‘welcoming gateway’ to the town. The project will see the creation of a modern, spa- cious station entrance with an upgraded ticket office, new waiting room, and toi- lets, including an accessible toilet. A new retail unit will also be available. All these facilities will be located within the same foot- print as the existing station building on platform one. The work, which is due to be completed in Spring 2026 follows the installation of new bike storage, which came into use last month. In addition, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology will be introduced at the station car park to make end-to-end journeys more seamless. While the work takes place, the main station building will be closed with reduced facilities. Alternative ticket retail- ing will be available, and temporary toilets will be in place on platform one. The station will also be cashless and only accept card payments. Customers travelling to or from Macclesfield dur- ing this time are advised to buy their tickets online, where possible. Dean Duthie, engineering and infrastructure director at Avanti West Coast, said: “This investment is part of our commitment to offer the best possible experience to our customers. “The redevelopment will make the station a more welcoming environment and an improved gateway to Mac- clesfield – a town we’re proud to serve. “We recognise the work taking place will mean reduced facilities for cus- tomers using the station and would like to thank them for their patience and under- standing. As always, our station team will be on hand to help with any queries.” Rail passengers face Piccadilly disruption Upgrades: Work at Piccadilly will boost service reliability say rail chiefs (Photo credit: Network Rail) Station’s £2m revamp is on track Upgrade: Maccles!eld Station is being improved (Photo credit: Avanti West Coast)