CREWE HUBCONSULTATION

WIDER PAN-REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE

WIDER PAN-REGIONAL RESPONSE TO THE CREWE HUB CONSULTATION

Delivering the right Crewe Hub is of critical

importance to a wide area. Get it right and it can

act as a catalyst to unlock significant economic

growth for an area of 2.1 million people and

containing industries with a world class

manufacturing & engineering supply base, home

to best in class companies and leaders in high

value/lean manufacturing e.g. Airbus, Toyota, JCB,

Siemens, Qioptic, and the chosen location for

multi-billion pound investment projects e.g. Wylfa

Newydd Nuclear, the super-prison HMP Berwyn,

Wirral Waters. Get it wrong and it can result in not

just missed opportunities but 2.1 million people

and key businesses losing direct connection to the

UK’s core network and becoming peripheral and

marginalised.

The original HS2 proposal offered just 2 trains per

hour stopping at Crewe, with other services

remaining unchanged. In the latest consultation

the Secretary of State acknowledges that a proper

hub station could generate significant

opportunities – not only for Crewe itself, but also

for the surrounding regions. HS2 provides the

opportunity to increase capacity on congested

railways, improve connections between the biggest

cities and regions and support the Industrial

Strategy to generate jobs, skills and economic

growth. The analysis contained within the latest

consultation shows that the option which offers

the best value for money is the one in which the

Hub has the ability to accommodate 5-7 HS2

stopping trains plus enhanced regional services.

This response aligns with Growth Track 360 and

Constellation Partnership and comes from 3 LEPs,

the North Wales Mersey Dee Business Council, the

NWMD Cross Border Rail Task force (Growth Track

360) and constituent local authorities, including

Shropshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire

West & Chester and Warrington. Collectively they

cover over 2.1 million people who would have

been no better off under the original proposal and

potentially worse off given the reduction in

connectivity to Manchester, the loss of the fastest

direct services to Chester and Holyhead and the

loss of direct Warrington to Scotland services. This

response, therefore, sets out the full benefits that

would be achieved by enhancing connectivity to

HS2 and Crewe Hub. It should be read alongside

the Constellation Partnership response which sets

out the growth in the area which would be

achieved as a consequence of 5-7 HS2 trains

stopping at Crewe per hour. We would also

highlight the work of Midlands Connect in

supporting our aspirations and illustrating the

wider benefits of what we are seeking.

02

03

Sir David Higgins highlighted the need to “integrate

HS2 into the existing rail network and potential

improvements to it” and that “a coherent approach

would maximise the value to the local and national

economies, and be a real catalyst for change in terms

of regeneration and rebalancing the spread of wealth

and prosperity in the UK.”

As a consequence of Crewe’s existing 360 degree rail

connectivity, he recommended that the HS2 hub

“should be at Crewe because that is the best way to

serve not just the local region, but also provide services

into the rest of the North West, North Wales and

Merseyside”, and that it “will allow more services across

the board, providing real benefit to commuters”.

High Speed Rail projects around the world show that

improved connectivity can be used to open up new

markets and act as a catalyst to drive economic

growth in towns, cities and regions. This is most

successful when it includes good access and frequent

local services to the High Speed stations, such as at

Lille. With a population of over 2.1 million people, the

growth potential of the area served by trains radiating

from the Crewe Hub is significant. We have ambitions

for an additional 120,000 jobs in North Wales,

120,000 net additional new jobs and up to 127,000

new homes across Cheshire and Warrington with the

creation of 120,000 jobs and 100,000 new homes

within the Constellation Partnership. Our collective

aim is to make the area a fantastic place to live, work

and travel.

Delivering Growth

Derby & East Midlands

Manchester

Stockport

Manchester & Manchester Airport

Scotland & Cumbria

Wirral & Liverpool

ChesterNorth Wales

Warrington

Mid Wales Shrewsbury

Birmingham

South Wales

London & Birmingham

Stoke

Scotland & Cumbria

Manchester AirportManchester &

alesNorth W Chester

Wirral & LiverpoolWarrington

Chester Manchester

StockportStockport

alesMid W ShrewsburyShrewsbury

MidlandsDerby & East Stoke

MidlandsDerby & East

alesSouth W

London & Birmingham

Birmingham

he big advantage of Crewe is that extensivephysical rail networks already exist, radiating outfrom the station. People can currently interchangebetween long-distance and local services, howevermany services on the radiating lines are infrequentand the timetables don’t coordinate well with theinter-city services. Furthermore, whilst there aregenerally good frequencies on the West CoastMain Line, east-west movements tend to be farless frequent at around 1 to 2 trains per hour.

The Constellation Growth Strategy sets out thetransformational impact of a remodelled station atCrewe and the Constellation ambition of 5-7 HS2trains per hour will deliver to the town. In order tospread the benefits of HS2 to the widestcatchment area we need to give travellersconfidence that the time savings afforded by HS2will not be eroded by long wait-times forconnecting services. Typically service frequenciesof 3 to 4 trains per hour are sufficient forpassengers to be reassured about achievingtimely connections. In most cases this level of

service on the lines radiating from Crewe could beachieved for relatively modest investment. For anumber of the radiating lines this could be simplyoperational costs of some additional services,whilst for other lines relatively modestinfrastructure enhancements could unlock servicefrequency improvements.

Such frequent services would open up a Hub

catchment area of over 2.1 million people offering

reduced significantly reduced journey times to

London, Birmingham and Manchester, giving

them a direct stake in the success of HS2 and the

opportunity to deliver additional growth across an

area from Anglesey to the Pennines, and the Irish

Sea to the Trent.

All of the local authorities and LEPs that have

contributed to this response are committed to

realising the benefits arising from connectivity to

HS2 and are keen to enter into a conversation

with government as to how these benefits can be

achieved and delivered.

Maximising Connectivity

04

A rail journey can take

u

Wrexham toLiverpool

110 minutes by train

53 minutes by car

69 minutes by train

Chester toManchester Airport

43 minutes by car

165 minutes by train

Llandudno toManchester Airport 88 minutes by car

12:46

11:59

Arrive at Chester

Arrive at Chester

Depart

Depart

Depart

Depart

Arrive Arrive

Arrive

Arrive

12:23

11:36

12:11

11:28

10:40

10:33

10:25 10:25

15 mins 7.5 mins

12 mins

7.5 minsLondon Euston to Crewe

91 mins

London Euston to Crewe

55 mins

23 mins

23 mins

Current Service

Future Service

London EustonLondon Euston

Crewe

Crewe

Finish

Finish

Start Start

o

12:46

Current Service

23 mins

Finish

Arrive at Chester

12:23

12:11

12 mins

11:59

Depart

Arrive

Crewe

Future Service

23 mins

Finish

Arrive at Chester

ondon Euston to LCrewe

91 mins

11:36

11:28

.5 mins7.

Depart

ArriveCrewe

ondon Euston to LCrewe

55 mins

10:40

10:25

tart

15 mins

S

Depart

Arrive

10:33

10:25

ondon EustonL

tart

.5 mins77.5 mins

S

Depart

Arrive

ondon EustonL

% % % %!"#$%&'()%#*%'%*$#+%&%#(,)&%-$%.#/0#1#/&-(,$#2%&#304&#0,#&-.(-*#&04/%$#/0#5&%+%#/3%,6

! 7&04,.#89:#;(**(0,#2%02*%#+04*.#$%%#/3%(&#&-(*#<04&,%=#/(;%$#/0#-,.#"&0;#>0,.0,#.%)&%-$%#?=#-/#*%-$/#-,#304&#?=#)0,,%)/(,@#'(-#5&%+%

Frequent local services connecting with HS2 at Crewe mean:

1.5 million people at least an hour closer to London

% % % %

400,000 people at least 30 mins closer to Manchester

05

Transport for the North and the Department for

Transport have recently agreed six “touch points”

between Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) and

HS2. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has recently

allocated £300m to develop these further for

inclusion in the Hybrid Bill for HS2 Phase 2b. They

include a south facing connection to the HS2 main

line for Liverpool – Warrington - London services

and a connection to the HS2 Manchester spur to

enable Liverpool – Manchester Airport –

Manchester services.

An important consideration is whether or not NPR

would need to use the Golborne Link. The

Golborne Link was proposed at a time when the

rolling stock depot would have required the use of

it by empty coaching stock. The depot is now

proposed to be moved south to Winsford /

Middlewich and would not need to use the Link.

Should NPR not require the use of Golborne Link

then the limited number of HS2 services using it

may call into question its viability.

Seeing NPR and HS2 together allows a bettersolution for Liverpool – Warrington - London HS2services to be provided. A Crewe North Junctionwould also be highly beneficial. It would allowBirmingham – Manchester HS2 services to be partof the NPR network as referenced in theconsultation document. This would also allowCrewe to be part of the NPR network, bringingsignificantly improved connectivity to ManchesterAirport and Piccadilly, and to destinations east ofthe Pennines where no direct links currently exist.

Thus we recommend that the Crewe Hub shouldbe designed to be sufficiently flexible toaccommodate any potential changes to HS2.

The Hub should also be designed toaccommodate any demands arising out of thewider NPR scheme. A primary objective of NPR isto achieve a transformational improvement injourney times and connectivity for rail servicesacross the north of England. Securing theinclusion in HS2 Phase 2B of the NPR “touchpoint” located at the Manchester Spur will be

critical to allow HS2 services to access Warringtonand Liverpool via a new high speed (NPR) line. Inaddition to the HS2 services connecting Londonand Birmingham with Warrington and Liverpool,Chester and North Wales would be able to directlyconnect into the NPR network either via aninterchange at Warrington or for NPR services tobe extended to serve them directly.

Alignment with Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR)

To deliver transformational housing and economic

growth, and maximise the benefits of and for HS2

we need a Hub design which could accommodate

the provision of enhanced regional services and

support wider transport opportunities (e.g.

Northern Powerhouse, Midlands Connect, Growth

Track 360). Hence the Hub should be able to:

• Provide a high quality interchange with

platforms adjacent to the existing station,

not on the independent lines;

• Accommodate 5-7 HS2 trains per hour

stopping at Crewe, connecting to Manchester,

Birmingham and London;

• Have flexibility for HS2 to serve other

destinations including Chester, North Wales

and further services to Warrington, utilising

the splitting of trains at Crewe to serve the

widest range of destinations;

• Accommodate enhanced regional rail services

and freight; and

• Build in flexibility for the future in order to

respond to other infrastructure projects e.g.

Northern Powerhouse Rail, any potential

changes to HS2 Phase 2b.

This will require a new junction north of Crewe to

accommodate the level of connectivity required

for both HS2 and regional services. Without it

either HS2 services to / from Manchester and

Manchester Airport will by-pass Crewe and limit

the level of connectivity to the rest of the sub-

region and into North Wales, or there will be

severe capacity constraints on the West Coast

Main Line, limiting the provision of other services.

Scenario 3 (which includes the northern junction)

has a very high BCR (the highest of the scenarios

given) and offers the potential for significant

increase in patronage (and hence increased

income via the fare box). Such a high BCR scheme

should be a high priority for national funding.

It is recognised that the HS2 service patterns are

indicative, however it will be important to ensure

that they serve key destinations to maximise

connectivity and hence economic growth

potential. For example the consultation currently

only proposes 1 classic compatible train per hour

between Macclesfield – Stoke – Stafford –

Birmingham Interchange in scenario 3.

Terminating at Macclesfield as opposed to going

on to Manchester would miss a major connectivity

opportunity and weaken the passenger demand

on this service from the outset. Similarly,

connectivity benefits would be maximised by

stopping London to Manchester services at Crewe

from 2027 onward.

In developing HS2 in detail it will be important to

identify and agree the “touch points”, with road

proposals being developed as part of our wider

approach to maximising the HS2 growth strategy.

Finally, local residents are worried about the

potentially significant environmental impacts of

HS2. It will, therefore, be essential that HS2

promotes the use of construction techniques

which minimise the visual intrusion of HS2 (e.g.

tunnelling, cuttings) and reduce the severance of

communities/farms (e.g. by providing bridges and

underpasses along the route). This would help to

reduce the amount of blight suffered by

properties, maintain the maximum amount of

productive farmland and reduce the loss of

property and harm to residents.

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Delivering the Right Hub Solution

ConclusionHS2 is a once in a generation opportunity hence it is essential that

the right hub design is delivered such that it can accommodate the

future needs of the area. If we do not deliver the right hub now we

will have to try and retro-fit solutions at a later date, which would

not only be more expensive but also have a detrimental impact in

the interim. All of the partners who have contributed to this

response consider that the Hub should be designed so that it has the

flexibility to accommodate 5-7 HS2 services, enhanced regional

services and potential future changes to HS2. Scenario 3 is,

therefore, considered to be the best of the options. To maximise the

economic benefits of this national investment it will also be

important that the other key hubs across the area benefit from

increased service frequencies / improved connectivity and reduced

journey times for the reasons set out above.