Disley Tunnel - The "new Line"

The "new Line"

The Midland Railway found that with the boom in railway traffic during the last decade of the 19th century the pressure on railway routes was intense with the volume of passenger and goods traffic increasing. This problem was present in all parts of the UK - though the Midlands, especially the Main Line to Manchester and Liverpool, was particularly crowded. The London and North Western Railway and the Great Northern Railway owned the Main Line to Manchester, which meant that the Midland's trains had the lowest priority.

The Midland joined with the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway company to form the Sheffield and Midland Railway Companies' Committee with the intention of building a "new line" that would bypass the main line, and give priority to their own trains, thus speeding up the service. Various routes were tried, including the "Manchester South District Railway Company" from Heaton Mersey to Chorlton-cum-Hardy. However, congestion continued.