CWAC calls for rail improvement package
Cheshire West & Chester Council has released a map of 11 major rail infrastructure projects that it says are needed to support high speed rail in the North West and North Wales.
At a council meeting on Thursday 11 December councillors gave unanimous backing to the HS2 recommendations included in Sir David Higgins' 'Rebalancing Britain' report published in October, which asked for more work on improving east-west services in the North.
CWAC leader Cllr Mike Jones called for the delivery of "integrated and modernised rail structure" in the region to prior to the arrival of HS2 and cited "massive under-investment" in rail infrastructure. He said that he had been meeting with councils from North Wales, Merseyside and Manchester to lobby for major change.
The required improvements are:
- Crewe to Holyhead line electrification
- Wrexham to Chester track re-doubling (already confirmed)
- Wrexham to Bidston line upgrade/electrification
- Halton Curve upgrade to passenger use/bi-directional
- Chester to Manchester (Mid Cheshire Line) line/frequency upgrade
- Manchester Airport link to Mid Cheshire line
- Line from Chester to Liverpool via Halton Curve
- Line from Hooton via Ellesmere Port to Liverpool and North via North Cheshire Line
- Line conversion from freight and new station at Middlewich
- Chester to Warrington line upgrade/electrification
- Winsford and Hartford service enhancement
Click here to download the CWAC rail aspiration map
