Britain’s high speed rail lines to the North look likely to bring a new hub station to the Cheshire town of Crewe and are set to make Wigan the gateway to region’s super-fast travel network.
This follows yesterday’s (Monday, July 17) announcement by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirming HS2 routes linking Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and the East Midlands to London.
An upcoming bill for the section from the West Midlands to Crewe will effectively act as a planning application, with the line expected to open in 2027 if approved by Parliament.
Wigan will be the gateway to high speed rail with the west coast mainline joining the high speed network just to the south of Wigan and connecting to Crewe, Birmingham then London Euston.
Once completed Wigan will connect to Birmingham in just 35 minutes, London in one hour 23 minutes, and will mean more than 8,000 extra seats for commuters per day.
The Transport Secretary also announced the decision to award the first stage of £6.6 bn worth of new contracts – supporting 16,000 jobs across the country.
Grayling said: "Britain’s new railway line will bring huge economic benefits across the country and help ensure this government delivers on its promise to spread wealth beyond London and the south-east.
"But as well as creating skilled jobs, apprenticeships and business opportunities, it will also mean real day-to-day improvements for people across the country.
"By building a whole new railway line for high-speed intercity connections, we will free up local services, meaning more comfort, more seats and more trains for passengers across the north and the midlands.
"We will now press ahead with building the line, while continuing to ensure affected communities get appropriate support and are treated with fairness, compassion and respect.”
Read more at thebusinessdesk.com