No HS2 for Macclesfield

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 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.

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.”

The announcement signals an end to hopes that Stoke-on-Trent (and Macclesfield) would get an HS2 station rather than in Crewe.