Dear Tim Roca, I needed to use Macclesfield station again this week and was genuinely shocked by the apparent lack of progress on the redevelopment.

Having now been ongoing for many months, the station still resembles a building site rather than the principal gateway to our town.

Macclesfield station serves over 4,000 passengers every day—equivalent to almost 8% of the town's population.

As the principal rail gateway to the town, it is a vital transport hub for commuters, businesses and visitors alike.

Despite its importance, passengers have endured months of disruption with little visible progress on a redevelopment that was due to be completed this spring.

Passengers are currently expected to put up with:

• No proper ticket office
• A temporary ticket office in the car park that presents obvious accessibility challenges for disabled passengers and those with hearing impairments
• Poor temporary toilet facilities with limited accessibility
• Around 50% of the station car park unavailable
• No proper waiting room

ALSO READ: Still no completion date as work continues on Macclesfield station's £2 million redevelopment

'The station still resembles a building site rather than the principal gateway to our town' - Richard Slater (Credit: Supplied)

As someone with many years' experience in the travel and retail industries, I find it extraordinary that passenger experience appears to have been treated as an afterthought. The station staff deserve considerable credit for dealing with frustrated passengers every day while working from what many local people have nicknamed 'the microwave' because of the conditions in the temporary cabin.

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This is exactly the sort of project that undermines public confidence in rail travel. At a time when governments and the rail industry are encouraging people to leave their cars at home, passengers arriving at Macclesfield are instead greeted by disruption, reduced facilities and little visible evidence of urgency.

The redevelopment was announced as a £2 million investment and was scheduled for completion in Spring 2026. We are now in July, that deadline has been missed, and passengers are entitled to know why. It is entirely reasonable to ask whether the project remains within budget, what has caused the delay, and who is being held accountable.

As Macclesfield's member of parliament, could you please explain:

• What representations have you personally made to Avanti West Coast and Network Rail regarding these delays?
• What explanation have you been given for missing the Spring 2026 completion date?
• Can you confirm whether the project remains within its original budget? If not, what additional costs are now expected?
• What firm completion date have you been given?
• What action are you taking to ensure passengers finally receive the standard of station they were promised?

Residents rightly expect their MP to challenge poor performance from organisations delivering public services, regardless of whether they are public bodies or private operators. From a passenger's perspective, there has been little visible urgency in delivering this project despite months of inconvenience. Constituents deserve to know what their elected representative is doing to hold those responsible to account.

I look forward to receiving a detailed response setting out the action you have taken and what you intend to do to ensure this long-running project is finally completed.

Yours sincerely, Richard Slater

Richard Slater - Henbury Travel

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