Plans for a railway station in the town were first announced by theNorth Staffordshire Railway on 30 April 1845.[19] Congleton was to be the terminus of a planned line toColwich, viaBurslem andStoke-on-Trent; this route was to be called thePottery Line.[19]
The Stafford-Manchester line from Stoke-on-Trent to Congleton was opened on 9 October 1848 by the North Staffordshire Railway; the station opened on the same day.[6] There was only one sets of lines that had been built between Congleton andHarecastle; this meant that approaching trains had to receive a signal from the station master before entering.[20] Some North Staffordshire Railway through trains used thePotteries Loop Line.[21]
The North Staffordshire Railway ran a limited number of passenger trains Monday-Saturday between Congleton andUttoxeter, calling at stations on the Potteries Loop line.[nb 2]
Biddulph Valley line:[10] passenger services were withdrawn on 11 July 1927.[10] Despite this, the London Midland and Scottish Railway ran special services along it at the beginning of August each year.[24]
The station buildings were demolished and rebuilt in 1966, as part of the modernisation and electrification programme of the West Coast Main Line;[8] the signal box and level crossing were also removed.[25]
After the closure of the goods yard atBrunswick Wharf inBuglawton on 1 April 1968,[26][27] sand was delivered by train to the station instead.[28]
On 27 December 1864, there was a collision between a London and North Western Railway goods engine and van with a North Staffordshire Railway passenger train at Congleton junction, where the Biddulph Valley line joined the Stafford-Manchester line.[37]
On 17 February 1899, there was a collision of two trains.[38]
On 19 January 2006, a Virgin CrossCountryVoyager train caught fire at Congleton.[39]
The station has a staffed ticket office which is open on weekdays and Saturday mornings, with two self-serviceticket machines available for ticket purchases at other times as well as modernhelp points on both platforms. There is a chargeablecar park andbicycle storage available. Step-free access is available to both of the platforms.[40]
There is a waiting room on the southbound platform;[33] however, this is boarded up and closed to the public.
As part of the Congleton Transport Development Plan,Cheshire East Council has proposed improving the quality of the station buildings, and the cycling and parking facilities; the idea of apark and ride service has also been raised.[41][42]
^abcdePaul Shannon & John Hillmer (2003).British Railways Past and Present no 40 Cheshire. Kettering: Past & Present Publishing Ltd. p. 101.ISBN1-85895-232-8.
^abcJeuda, Basil (11 July 2010).The North Staffordshire Railway in LMS Days Volume 1. Lydney: Lightmore Press. p. 41.ISBN978-1899889488.
^abAlcock, Joan P (15 March 2014).Congleton Though Time. Stroud: Amberley Publishing. p. 74.ISBN978-1445609768.
^abHartless, Adrian (April 2019). "3.Eturia to Congleton".Lines North of Stoke to Crewe, Congleton and Leek. Midhurst: Middleton Press.ISBN9781910356296.XXXIV.The goods station remained open until the end of 1976 and the warehouse was used afterwards as a permanent way store.
^Report of the Inspecting Officers of the Railway Department to the Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council for Trade upon certain accidents which have occurred on Tye Railways.Eyre & Spottiswoode. 1864. pp. 75–77.
^Report on the collision at Congleton station on 17th February 1899 North Staffordshire Railway. Board of Trade. 1899.
^abStations in Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees are considered part of North East England, while stations in the unitary areas of York and North Yorkshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber.
^Stations in North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire are considered part of Yorkshire and the Humber, while all other stations are considered part of the East Midlands.
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