The HS2 link between Birmingham and Crewe will open six years earlier than planned, in 2027, chancellor George Osborne has announced.
Crewe has been chosen over Stoke-on-Trent for a rail “hub”, which will reduce journey times to London by 35 minutes.
Accelerating the “phase 2a” stretch of HS2 has the potential to “help unlock growth and regeneration in cities across the country”, a Department for Transport report said.
The high-speed rail network will mean faster journeys between London, Crewe, Manchester, Liverpool, Preston, Warrington, Wigan and Glasgow.
Transport minister Patrick McLoughlin said the location of a Crewe hub would be subject to consultation and further details would be released in 2016. But he said part of the funding for the development would be released this year, “to support the work that the Northern Gateway Partnership is doing to develop growth and regeneration plans”.
Developers have already started building speculatively in Crewe ahead of HS2’s arrival, according to Matthew Pochin, director at Legat Owen.
He said: “We have already seen a significant amount of development activity not only on a design-and-build basis but more recently speculatively, which is another sign of confidence in the market.
“We are now expecting more focus on investment in the town as businesses look to base themselves in the area and take advantage of the new planned transport links and infrastructure.”
An HS2 construction timetable announced during last week’s Spending Review said that the London to Birmingham stretch was due to be completed in 2026, with the Leeds to Manchester line due to open in 2033.
