Commuter flows without a bus (or rail) link

[Nicholas]

RE: Commuter flows without a bus (or rail) link

(11/02/2016 11:27)knutstransport Wrote:  It also identifies a lack of jobs in Alsager, Congleton, Middlewich, Poynton and Sandbach while an 'abundance' of jobs in Crewe, Handforth and Knutsford, so there's perhaps potential flows which don't exist because of a missing link. Re-opening the Middlewich branch line would help get people to the jobs but maybe a Congleton to either Wilmslow or Knutsford bus alongside the existing services would help?

Sandbach was a hotbed of employment in its hayday. It is a trucking town, as two major vehicle manufacturers - Foden and ERF - were based there. Foden and ERF were big rivals, having been formed from a family dispute* in the early 1930s.

However, this hasn't been the case since 2006 when PACCAR closed down the Foden plant after deciding to reduce the number of brands from three to one (the other two being DAF and Leyland Trucks). This was four years after the other manufacturer, ERF, had its factory closed after the brand was acquired by MAN two years previously. The site of Foden is now housing, whilst the former ERF site is home to an Aldi and health centre.

Nowadays, jobs are in Crewe, or in Manchester or Liverpool. The railway links help here to an extent, as they do with Congleton, meaning the larger centres are not that far away.

On the other hand, Crewe has the advantage of being on a major railway junction. Crewe, with having the railway works (albeit much reduced in size nowadays) and the Rolls Royce/Bentley plant, has always had the advantage of having major employers in the town.

* In case you are interested... Edwin Foden founded the original business but died in 1911. His son, Edwin R Foden was MD of Foden Trucks until 1930 when he was forced to resign by his stepmother's influence on the board. They couldn't tolerate each other and the problems in and out of the boardroom lead to her forcing ER out. ER and his son went on to found... ERF.