Victorious Crewe in HS2 partnership offer to Stoke

CHESHIRE East Council continues to reach out to Staffordshire over HS2 despite beating it to a major hub for the proposed high speed rail line.

Crewe has been selected over Stoke for a new station that could be up and running by 2017.

At the Next Generation Rail Cheshire event in Crewe yesterday, Cheshire East leader Michael Jones stressed the need for a “strong local partnership” to reap the full rewards from HS2.

He said: “The North West HS2 hub station is a tremendous opportunity for our region to thrive and prosper as an economic powerhouse. But we need a strong local partnership to ensure we achieve this.

“We want to work with our near neighbours in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire to ensure our region gets maximum benefit from this historic opportunity.

“HS2 in the North West is all about energising the economies of Cheshire and Staffordshire. The North West hub station would provide a cradle for growth which would change the livesof millions of people.”

An HS2 station at Crewe would cut journey times to the capital by 35 minutes to 55 minutes.