THE Middlewich Rail Link campaign has received another boost of support from Fiona Bruce MP after she raised the issue in Parliament.

On Thursday, January 28, Mrs Bruce asked the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin to consider how the station can be reopened.

Following his response, she has since written to the Rail Minister, Clare Perry to request a meeting to discuss possible options for the town.

In a letter to the minister, Mrs Bruce said: “As mentioned when I asked my Question today in the House, the benefit of reopening this station, which still has a freight stop for passengers, would be not only to facilitate increased rail travel in the region and beyond. Middlewich is just a few minutes rail travel from Crewe, but also help to substantially relieve congestion on the nearby M6 between Junctions 16 and 19 and recognised as one of the most congested motorway stretches in the country. It is currently the subject of Smart Motorway works.”

Mrs Bruce also highlighted that the proposal is has received backing from George Osborne MP, Edward Timpson for Crewe and Nantwich, Graham Evans MP for Weaver Vale and Antoinette Sandbach MP for Eddisbury, whose constituents in Winsford would also benefit from the rail line.

She added: “With reference to the Secretary of State’s response, the relevance to HS2 is that if the potential of a Crewe stop is to be fully realised for my constituents, the reopening of Middlewich railway station to passengers is essential.”

Mrs Bruce has been a strong supporter of reopening Middlewich railway station, and presented a petition signed by more than 2000 residents in the House of Commons in March 2013.

Since this point, interest in the campaign has gathered ‘considerable support’, and has attracted the support of the Mid Cheshire Rail Link Campaign.

In a statement to the Guardian, Mrs Bruce said: "

“I consider one of my key responsibilities as an MP for this constituency is to ensure Government Ministers are aware of the views of my constituents. This is important because of Ministers’ key input into strategic decision making.

"Thousands of people in this constituency want Middlewich Railway Station open to passengers and it is therefore vital that Transport Ministers are aware of the extent of local campaigning and the strategic importance of reopening this station.

"One the best ways to highlight this is in the House of Commons, so that Ministers are in no doubt about the importance of re-opening Middlewich Railway Station for local people, for the local economy and for the wider region as a whole, which is why I have enlisted the support of so many surrounding MPs.

"With a great deal of strategic thought being put into developing the rail network in the North it is vital that reopening this passenger facility is well and truly in the mind of Government Ministers as decisions are made at this time which will have impact for decades to come.

"I have also asked for a meeting with the Rail Minister to so that I can give fuller detail of the benefits of reopening Middlewich Railway Station to passengers than is possible in a question in the House of Commons.”