Rail link missing Crewe would be ‘mis-step’

Building a new rail link between the Midlands and the North without calling at Crewe would be a "serious mis-step", the town’s MP has said.

Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, has written to ministers calling for Crewe to be included in any alternative to the northern leg of HS2.

He said a proposal supported by the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands was a "viable and cost-effective" alternative, but bypassing the Cheshire town would jeopardise regional economic growth.

The Department for Transport said it was "committed to improving rail connectivity across the North".

Connor Naismith said Crewe was positioned to play a "central role in driving economic regeneration"

Crewe was due to be a calling point on the original HS2, before the northern leg was cancelled by the previous government.

An alternative proposal has been drawn up after work by the mayors in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

In his letter, Mr Naismith said Crewe had historically been "one of the most important junctions in the country’s rail system".

Naismith said Crewe would face "significant economic consequences" if it was not included in any new Midlands-North West rail link.

He added that including a stop at Crewe would represent "an opportunity to demonstrate the power of transport infrastructure investment to drive economic growth and support our climate objectives".

A spokesperson for the government said transport was an "essential part" of its "mission to rebuild Britain".

"We are committed to improving rail connectivity across the North, working with local leaders to do so."