High Speed 2
Since its station opened in 1837, Crewe has become one of the most well-known railway towns in Britain, a key interchange for passengers and freight around which a community and engineering industry grew in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Now Crewe’s future role on the railway seems assured after the Government declared its backing for the Crewe Hub scheme.
Crewe’s role in High Speed 2 has been evolving since October 2014, when Sir David Higgins’ Rebalancing Britain report recommended accelerating the section of the HS2 route from Birmingham to Crewe, now known as Phase 2a. Sir David had previously advised government to look at the potential for a ‘Crewe hub’, which could improve both the level of HS2 service and connections with the existing rail network.
Ministers accepted this advice and the Phase 2a hybrid Bill was deposited in Parliament on 17 July 2017. If it receives Royal Assent, this will allow construction of Phase 2a to begin in 2020 to allow trains along this section of route to run from 2027. If – as some predict – there is difficulty in meeting the Phase 1 opening date of 2026, HS2 could open to both Birmingham and Crewe at the same time in the late 2020s. Phase 2a compri…
