Despite widespread opposition, Moorland & City Railways, supported by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, is going ahead with its secretive and controversial plans to reopen a commercial railway from Stoke to Leekbrook.

All pretence that it will be a heritage railway has been abandoned. The line will be used to carry cement, limestone and sand from Cauldon Low to Stoke. Working closely with the Churnet Valley Railway and other partners, Moorland & City Railways hopes to extend its octopus like tentacles into the Churnet Valley and run passenger trains from Stoke to Leek and Alton.

The line from Stoke to Leekbrook passes through Milton, Endon and Denford before linking with the recently reopened line to Cauldon Low and the dismantled railway that runs through Leek to join the mainline at North Rode.

Constructed by the North Staffordshire Railway Company, the Stoke to Leekbrook line had stations at Fenton Manor, Bucknall, Milton, Stockton Brook, Endon and Wall Grange.

David Kemp, a director of Moorland & City Railways and the Churnet Valley Railway, is reported as saying the reopening of the Stoke to Leekbrook line creates an opportunity to link with the mainline at Stoke and run freight trains and commuter services. However, he does not say how many trains will run along the line or how many stations his company intends to reopen. People whose quality of life may be affected by these services have a right to know how many trains a day the company proposes to run and whether freight trains will be allowed to run at night.

By failing to answer these questions and hiding its activities behind a veil of secrecy, Moorland & City Railways is alienating people who may benefit from its schemes. The time has come to lift this veil of secrecy, enabling an informed discussion to take place between the railway company and those who object to its plans. Moorland & City Railways can help facilitate this debate by establishing information cafes at Cheddleton, Leek and Stoke which people can visit to see the plans and discuss them with its representatives.