All change for DJS Research commuters! Northern Rail offers additional stops at Strines Station after years of campaigning

18th June 2019 12:12

It's all change for Strines Railway station! Northern Rail is now offering addtional stops at Strines Station during peak hours, which has dramatically improved the commute options for DJS Research staff travelling to and from Manchester Piccadilly.

It follows years of campaigning by the Friends of Strines Station group to put in place an additional stop at the station during peak hours.

The changes mean that the 7.40am from Piccadilly will now stop at Strines (at approximately 8.09am) rather than passengers having to travel on into New Mills Central where they had to wait for a further train to take them back along the same line to alight at Strines – adding a significant amount of time to their journey.

It also means employees can now leave work closer to 5pm to catch the 17.25pm from New Mills (due at Strines at approx, 17.28pm) rather than only having the option to leave at 18.28pm.

The timetable update is a welcome change for many DJS staff who now have access to shorter journey times and greater flexibility when it comes to their commute. City-dwelling employees can now enjoy a day of work surrounded by the natural beauty of Strines before a short commute back to the city hubub, in just half an hour.

Senior Research Manager, Clare Borthwick, who lives in Manchester and previously drove to work because of the limited train timetable now plans to commute by rail instead. She said:

"This timetable change makes such a difference to my working week. I can now arrive at work by train at a reasonable time and don't have to wait until 6.30pm every evening to start my journey home. It also means I can now be home in half the time."

“I love escaping the city to go to work in such a peaceful location. I really have the best of both worlds, ” she added.

Research Executive, Emma Baker, who also faced a long commute just a few weeks ago is also enjoying her newly-improved journey.

“It’s been so much better coming into work since the timetable change,” she said. “I now have the option of either coming in early (with no connection at New Mills!), meaning I can work from 8:30am until 4:30pm, or enjoy a bit more of a lie in and work a 9am to 5pm. The changes have meant that journeys, both in and out of work, take approximately half an hour, whereas before the indirect route would take twice that.”

The request for these changes were initially made four years ago by DJS Research and have been supported by the Friends of Strines Station (F.O.S.S ) . Craig Wright, a supporting member of the group believed it was a chat he had with a Northern timetable planner at the last consultation, that eventually got the ball (or should that be carriage) moving...

"He agreed that these extra stops would make almost no difference to schedules and promised to try and achieve the change,"said Wright. "He has done that and come up trumps."

However, while the extra stops at Strines Station will prove invaluable for researchers and staff at DJS Research, the Friends of Strine Station still have a little further to go in their campaign to benefit local residents and visitors to the area.

"The next fight is to get an hourly daytime service at Strines," said Wright.

"As the trains we want to stop are New Mills turnbacks they could be accommodated with ease. Let’s keep battling."

Managing Director of DJS Research, Danny Sims welcomed the news saying:

"This is great for our staff and makes us even better connected to Manchester via the rail network. We'd like to extend our gratitude to Craig and the Friends of Strines Station for their continued efforts in bringing about these changes, which have already made a huge difference to staff travelling to and from the city.”

The new timetable came into force on 19 May.