HS2 arriving six years ahead of schedule
HIGH-speed trains will be running between Birmingham and Crewe by 2027 – six years earlier than originally planned.
Chancellor George Osborne appears to have responded to suggestions from the Labour Party and others that getting fast rail links to the North is just as important, if not more so, than linking the Midlands and the more prosperous South East.
The original plan was to link up Birmingham and London in phase one of the HS2 project by 2027 with phase two linking the North and the Midlands in 2033.
But now the Birmingham-Crewe link will start operating in 12 years’ time and not 18.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “HS2 will mean an economic transformation for the whole country. Bringing HS2 to Crewe ahead of time is a tremendous opportunity for the North to feel the benefits even sooner. Cities across the North West and Scotland will gain much needed additional rail capacity and faster services, helping support growth and deliver jobs.”
Cheshire East Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones hailed the announcement as a ‘game-changer’ which would helping create more than 120,000 jobs by 2040 and injecting £10bn a year into the wider region’s economy.
He also announced the council is to establish a new regeneration company to deliver an economic growth strategy for the south Cheshire sub-region.
This announcement would seem to bring to an end any lingering hopes that Stoke-on-Trent had that an HS2 station would be built there rather than in Crewe.
Patrick McLoughlin said while the HS2 hub was not definitely going be in Crewe, he does “support the vision”.
He said: “Work is ongoing I intend to make further announcements in 2016, and any Crewe hub scheme will be subject to consultation. “
Work is expected to start on constructing HS2 in 2017 with the suggestion now that the Birmingham-London link could be up and running by 2026.
The announcement by the Chancellor can be seen as part of his Autumn Statement vow that the Government will prioritise improving transport links with and within the North.
Osborne also announced that ex-head of the CBI business group John Cridland would chair Transport for the North. This new body will look to improve transport links across the region.
On prioritising the Birmingham to Crewe phase of HS2, the Chancellor said: “Bringing forward this part of the HS2 route by six years is a massive step in the right direction for the Northern Powerhouse where high-speed rail will play a big role in connecting up the entire region with the rest of the country.”
