High speed trains could call at Macclesfield

Macclesfield will be served by an HS2 train to and from London each hour if new options for the controversial £50 billion railway are adopted.

It would involve the platforms at a proposed Crewe HS2 hub station being extended to 400m – allowing longer high speed trains to divide in two and serve different northbound locations.

This would free up capacity on the HS2 line, allowing one train an hour to switch to the West Coast Mainline at Handsacre and stop at Stafford, Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield.

Under the previous proposals only Stafford would have been served by ‘classic compatible’ trains in this way.

The Government has now published the bill for Phase 2a of HS2, which will see the high speed line reach Crewe by 2027 – six years earlier than initially planned.

A consultation on the Crewe Hub options and the possibility HS2 trains serving Macclesfield either by 2027 or 2033, has now been launched.

The Government asked HS2 Ltd to explore how HS2 services could be extended last year.

The consultation document states: “The results of that work found that the best way to serve Stoke-on-Trent would be a service via Handsacre junction and Stafford that could continue beyond Stoke-on-Trent to Macclesfield.

The work also found that some additional interventions at Crewe, namely lengthening of platforms to accommodate the splitting and joining of longer trains, could allow such a service to operate without needing an additional train path on the Phase One London to West Midlands HS2 line.

“Whilst technical work is still progressing, we have undertaken further analysis on different service scenarios in 2027 and 2033 which could build on Crewe’s existing connectivity and provide an opportunity for the future HS2 operator to serve Stoke-on-Trent.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council spent almost £1 million on its case for a station on the HS2 line itself, only for the Government to opt for Crewe instead.

But the authority has continued to lobby for the city to be served by HS2 in some way, and has been working with the Constellation Partnership to maximise the local economic benefits of the high speed line.

The consultation covers three possible scenarios – the first two involving either one or two 400m trains an hour splitting at Crewe.

Under the third option a new junction linking the West Coast Mainline to the HS2 line north of Crewe would be constructed. This would allow five northbound HS2 trains, and seven southbound trains to call at Crewe each hour, including services to Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the proposals for the new Crewe Hub station, and therefore the Stoke-on-Trent HS2 service, would be ‘subject to affordability and value for money’.

He added: “Funding the broader vision for a Crewe hub will require national and local government to work together, but I believe that there is the potential to deliver even more benefits.”

Rachel Bailey, leader of Cheshire East Council, welcomed the Phase 2a bill.

She said: “This is a key milestone for this ‘once in a generation’ rail project, which will see a Crewe hub station opening in 2027.

“This council also welcomes further recognition of the overwhelming case for a HS2 hub station in Crewe.

“We are pleased to see that the Department for Transport has launched a consultation on the Crewe HS2 hub station and related components. The council will consider the consultation proposals in detail to ensure our consultation responses reflect the best possible outcomes for Cheshire East residents.”

The Crewe Hub consultation will run until October 12.