You’re sat on a train which has just stopped at Stoke-on-Trent Station. The doors close and the train glides away from the station, heading northwards. Look to one side and you’ll notice the expansive campus of Staffordshire University. Look to the other side and you’ll see the A500, amidst a sea of traffic lights. The train picks up speed and races through Shelton and Cliffe Vale. Suddenly, the train starts to slow and the public address system “kicks in. You hear the following announcement:
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re now approaching Etruria Valley. Please change here for Festival Park and connecting bus services to Hanley and Newcastle-under-Lyme.”
This isn’t a dream or the latest in artificial intelligence. We’re hoping it will become a reality, as we aim to develop a proposal to open a new rail station at Etruria Valley, close to the newly opened Etruria Valley Link Road. Just think of the benefits of a new station at Etruria Valley, home to some of the area’s largest employers, including Bet365, DPD, Doubletree Hilton, Morrisons, Vodafone, Waterworld, Wardell Armstrong (and of course, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce!):
- Improved access to the workplace for staff.
- Makes local businesses more accessible with a better chance of attracting the best pool of available talent from across the area and beyond.
- Staff travelling to and from work in a sustainable way.
- Improved air quality for local residents and employees.
- Staff may choose to combine rail travel with cycling – even more sustainable travel!
- Easier access for visitors to local businesses. No need for taxis to and from Stoke-on-Trent Station.
- Easier access to Etruria Valley for visitors heading to destinations such as Doubletree Hilton and Waterworld – supporting spend in our leisure economy.
- Drop in traffic congestion in and around Etriuria Valley and Festival Park, particularly on A53 and A500.
- Reduced pressure on car parking.
If your business is based in Etruria Valley or Festival Park, we would like to invite you to join us for an open table discussion on the proposal, which is very much in the early stages but one which we hope will develop into reality. We hope that a new station could offer connections to a bus service linking with Hanley to the east and Wolstanton and Newcastle under Lyme to the west. Electric vehicle charging points on site could entice park-and-ride travellers.
A new rail station at Etruria Valley will be a gamechanger for local businesses and we hope you’ll join us at our Commerce House office (ST1 5BE) on Monday 13th November from 10AM to 11AM, to hear more and join the discussions around improving transport connectivity. Places are limited but you can book your place through the November events page on the Chambers’ website or by emailing
declan.riddell@staffordshirechambers.co.uk
We hope to see you on 10.11.23.
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