A Stoke-on-Trent MP says he hopes work on new railway station in Meir could begin by the end of this year.

Jack Brereton has been campaigning for the new station, more than half a century after the old station was closed during the Beeching cuts of the 1960s.

He believes the scheme is particularly important given the low level of car ownership in the nearby area.

In August, rail minister Huw Merriman visited Meir to see for himself the site where a new train station is due to be built.

Mr Merriman said at the time: "Meir Station has a very, very good case. There's a lack of social mobility around the area and there's a lot of government funding that's going into Stoke-on-Trent.

"The ability to connect the two, particularly in an area where 40% of households in this ward don't have cars, it really sells itself as far as that's concerned."

Stoke-on-Trent's railways suffered some of the worst cuts of anywhere in the country under the Beeching cuts and ministers are hoping to reverse with projects like the reopening of Meir Station.

Stoke-on-Trent's railways suffered some of the worst cuts and ministers are hoping to reverse this with projects like the reopening of Meir Station (Nub News).

Commenting on the proposals, Jack Brereton said it would give people more choice and make it easier for them to get around.

He said: "Behind the scenes, Network Rail have been doing quite a lot of work to advance it further.

"My understanding is that they could be on-site by the end of 2023 to actually build the station, so it is quite a rapid process now.

"When we had the minister visit, he said we had a very strong case. I think it's quite clear there are issues with transport in the Meir area.

"We need to something to improve local transport to make it easier for people to access work, skilled opportunities, and just generally get around.

"I think reopening the station really does give an alternative to people to be able to travel round more easily and access all of those opportunities."

The new station will be accessed either by a footbridge from George Avenue, or from Uttoxeter Road which runs alongside the A50.

It is not expected to come with a ticket office when it opens.

The government says only one in ten transactions take place in a ticket office, and it would prefer to see staff helping around the station rather than behind a desk.

There are hopes that the new Meir Station could bring about more frequent services on the Crewe-Derby line, which has also been the subject of campaigning recently.

Railway use post-pandemic has only reached about 70% of its previous levels.

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