MID Cheshire MP Andrew Cooper will be meeting with rail chiefs in a bid to progress long-awaited repair work at Northwich Station following its partial collapse in 2021.

In May that year, a gable wall and part of a canopy roof collapsed, causing bricks, glass, and metalwork to crash onto the platform near the ticket office and leave two passengers badly shaken.

But, three-and-a-half years on, the ticket office has yet to re-open - despite the completion of rebuilding works - with the interior fit-out only scheduled to start from September 2025.

This Friday, November 1, Mr Cooper will be meeting with chiefs from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), train operator Northern and Network Rail at the station.

Mr Cooper says one of his aims for this meeting is to persuade Network Rail to bring this work forward if possible.

He said: “Travellers to and from Northwich have waited too long for this rebuild to be completed, and I am keen to do all I can to bring this necessary work forward and underline its importance to the community.

“There are a number of other issues at the station, including accessibility, that I will also be aiming to address.

“One of my key priorities is to see Northwich Station rebuilt and the ticket office is reopened as soon as possible, so it is important I have a good working relationship with Network Rail and Northern to ensure that this happens.”

According to an ORR report published earlier this year the cause of the collapse was due to a lack of vegetation control.

The ORR has also since decided not to bring any prosecutions in relation to the incident.