| Leek | |
| Status: | Disused |
| Borough: | Leek, Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 53.1003°N -2.0329°W |
| Grid Name: | Grid reference |
| Original: | North Staffordshire Railway |
| Years1: | 3 July 1970 |
| Events1: | Closed to freight |
Leek railway station served the town of Leek, Staffordshire. It was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1849.[1] Passenger services to Uttoxeter were withdrawn in 1965, with complete closure following in 1970. For a short time in 1961–62, special football excursions (the Stanley Matthews Express) were arranged to Stoke following the return of Stanley Matthews to Stoke City FC.
Leek had a substantial station and goods yard, but competition from road transport led to the withdrawal of services to in 1956 and the remaining passenger services to in 1965. Freight workings continued until 1970.[1]
The site of the station is now occupied by a Morrisons supermarket,[2] although the road bridge is still in situ between the latter's car park and petrol station.
See also: Leek (Churnet Valley) railway station. In 2009, Moorlands and City Railways Ltd (MCR) bought the 20 miles of railway line from Stoke in the west-direction of Leek, with a view to reconnect Leek with the national network.[3]
A new station could be constructed in Leek, possibly on the Cornhill development on the outskirts of the town, although the MCR would prefer a station closer to the town centre.[4] [5] Following its initial refusal of planning permission in September 2014, Moorlands District Council accepted a second proposal which would see a station provided next to the 17-acre Barnfield Industrial Estate in Cornhill, on a site previously occupied by Hughes Concrete Products.[6] The new station would become the Churnet Valley Railway's northern terminus and the headquarters of the MCR.[6] The ¾-mile extension from would be funded by the sale of land within a triangle at Leekbrook for housing.[6]