plans were made for a line to Stoke-on-Trent, it was originally intended for a branch to be built from Stockport to Macclesfield. Instead, the junction was built south at Cheadle Hulme. The line was constructed over four years: it opened for goods traffic as far as Poynton in June 1845, and on 24 November it reached Macclesfield and was opened to the public. In June 1846 Parliament authorised the completion of the line to Stoke-on-Trent. By June 1849 the section between Congleton and Macclesfield was completed and the line was finished. New station After the Stoke line opened, the station was rebuilt north-east at the junction so it could serve both lines. The new station opened on 9 June 1845; at first, southbound services ran to Crewe and Poynton. By November the line had been extended to Macclesfield, and by 1849, when the original station closed, it had reached Stoke-on-Trent. The new station had four platforms, and was served by trains running between Manchester and Crewe or Stoke-on-Trent. It was renamed Cheadle Hulme in 1866, to avoid confusion with Cheadle LNW railway station which opened the same year. Before the arrival of the railway, Cheadle Hulme was a rural and agricultural cluster of hamlets. The railway brought a huge influx of people to the area, and provided opportunities for residents to work in places such as Manchester. Cheadle Hulme gradually grew to become a large suburb of over 29,000 people thanks to the railway. Derailments A special train - known as the "Lollipop Express" - carrying 234 school children from Gnosall, Stafford to York for a day trip derailed at the station on 28 May 1964. Three people, including two children, were killed and 27 were injured. The bridge, which carried the line between Macclesfield and Stoke, was in the process of being reconstructed. Passing trains were restricted to a temporary speed limit of . A hearing determined that the train's excessive speed had caused the derailment because the train driver was not aware of the speed restriction. In July 1969, there was another derailment near Cheadle Hulme involving a freight diesel locomotive. It injured no one but blocked services to Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent for several hours. Alterations The original station was sited above road level (as it is today). Passengers accessed the other two platforms by a footbridge, which was removed after the lines were electrified. Cheadle Hulme was