Cheshire West and Chester Council write to Prime Minister about HS2

Cheshire West and Chester Council has written a joint letter with Cheshire East Council, Warrington Borough Council and the Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, expressing deep concern over the rumours of the cancellation of HS2 north of Birmingham and Northern Powerhouse Rail.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said:

"HS2 is a key part of Levelling Up. It will modernise the UK’s rail network and ready it for the growth in rail travel that will be required for modal shift from road to public transport to reduce carbon emissions. HS2 will increase capacity on our Victorian rail network and provide a better service for local people.

“If the Northern leg between Birmingham and Manchester is not completed, the nation will be left with a truncated line. The Government will have wasted the £22.5bn already spent on the Old Oak Common to Birmingham leg and the £2.3bn spent on planning the Birmingham to Manchester route."                                              

The letter refers to the rumoured cancellation of HS2 north of Birmingham and as a result Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), given that the two lines share the part of the route to Manchester Airport and onwards to Manchester. 

The councils share the same concerns in that HS2 and NPR are considered game changers for Cheshire and Warrington and the wider North West, with the potential to unlock significant housing, employment and productivity gains. The benefits would be spread across the entire sub-region and into neighbouring areas. In Cheshire and Warrington alone HS2 would:

• add £2 billion per annum to GVA,
• create 27,000 new jobs and
• deliver 6 million sq ft of new commercial floor space and 25,000 new homes.

In West Cheshire the planned HS2 depot at Winsford (the Crewe North Rolling Stock Depot) would be an operational and maintenance hub, featuring 27 sidings 400 metres in length, accommodating up to 54 high speed trains. This depot is where most train drivers would be based and will start and end their shifts, generating new jobs and innumerable supply chain opportunities across mid-Cheshire. HS2 also offers significant benefits to key towns in mid-Cheshire including Northwich, with the re-opening of the Mid-Cheshire Railway Line.

In Chester, as a direct consequence of the improved connectivity offered by HS2, Cheshire West and Chester Council has been working with London & Continental Railways (LCR) on a vision to deliver significant regeneration and development around Chester Station.

Added Councillor Gittins:

“Cancellation of HS2 would have a significant impact on private sector confidence in the borough and throw away the opportunities the line offers to grow the economy.

You can read the letter here:

Letter to the Prime Minister about HS2