Crewe station needs altering for HS2, council says

Crewe station needs two new entrances and a better access road to accommodate HS2 passengers, the council says

Crewe railway station "is unlikely to be able to accommodate" thousands of extra HS2 passengers unless major changes are made, council officials have warned.

Cheshire East Council said the station needed a new main entrance, a new road bridge and extra parking.

HS2 is due to arrive in Crewe by 2027 and the station will become a hub when the line later extends to Manchester.

The government is due to respond to the requests later this year.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said proposals for Crewe station "will be subject to affordability, including the scale of any local contribution to costs and value for money".

The council's executive director Frank Jordan said Crewe station is "a key part of the network that supports other towns and cities like Stoke-on-Trent, Chester and Manchester, so it's really important that we get Crewe right".

HS2 is a new high-speed rail network, from London to Birmingham and to Manchester and Leeds.

The BBC has seen a document containing a list of requests submitted by Cheshire East Council to MPs who are reviewing the government's plans to build the HS2 line between Birmingham and Crewe by 2027.

The document says the station's main entrance on Nantwich Road is "unlikely to be able to accommodate the increased patronage resulting from HS2" which it says will "put further pressure on the local highway network".

The council has asked for funding for a new main entrance on Weston Road with additional car parking and another pedestrian entrance on Gresty Road.

The document also proposes building a new road bridge south of the station, warning the current route to the station is a "bottleneck".

No budget has yet been set aside to fund any alterations in Crewe.