A Virtual Stroll Along the Mickle Trafford-Shotton Railway



The other side of the footbridge that connects Kingsway via the playing fields with Fairfield Road and the Newton Hollows- and, as described earlier, the point where the great improvements brought about by the construction of the SUSTRANS cycletrack unaccountably come to an abrupt and inexplicable end...

At the time this photograph was taken, the area had been subject to several days of heavy rain. It is interesting to note that despite this there were very few deep puddles on the line and the surface was mostly quite firm, making for easy walking- and was also sheltered from the high winds prevalent at the time.

In contrast, below, we can see the same bridge as featured in one of the council's (con?)- 'artist's impressions' of the CDTS busway as they imagine it would appear "five years after opening"- a dreary, utilitarian environment whose only function would appear to be to shift shoppers from the giant Manning's Lane Park & Ride to the city centre and back again.


What appeal is a place like this likely to have for Chester's hard-pressed families, desperate for a place to relax, breathe clean air and, just for once, enjoy a bit of peace and quiet out of the sight, noise and smell of motor vehicles?

The trackbed at this point is fairly wide and, allowing for the destruction of the wildlife-rich embankment on the right of the above photograph, a two-lane bus road and cycletrack may conceivably be made to fit here.

But, as we have observed in numerous locations throughout the course of our stroll, such is certainly not the case with much of the rest of the line of the old railway, where radical destruction of the surrounding trees and shrubs- not to mention the newly-constructed SUSTRANS cycletrack- seems inevitable....



The view from under the bridge on a snowy day in 2007

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