Station a national treasure facing challenges - MP

The MP for Crewe has said he believes the town's railway station is a "national treasure" but one facing "significant challenges".

Connor Naismith, the Labour MP for Crewe and Nantwich, was speaking in a Parliamentary debate on the station, with other MPs in the area also taking part.

He said the condition of the station was "ill befitting as a front door to a town with such a rich rail heritage", highlighting leaks in the roofs and limited entrance space.

Transport minister Lilian Greenwood said the government was "considering a range of potential solutions" for rail connectivity in the area.

Crewe was due to be a calling point on high-speed railway HS2 before the northern leg of the project was cancelled by the previous government.

Mr Naismith said the station was a "linchpin" of the country's rail network, and one of the only stations with 360 degree connectivity.

But he said it was clear to both residents and experts that the station faced "significant challenges".

"Its platforms are too few and too narrow to cope with projected future demand. On top of that, the entrances have limited space, and there are often leaks in the roofs, which do not cover entire platforms," he said.

"Crewe rightly boasts of its position as a rail hub, but the condition of the station is ill befitting as a front door to a town with such a rich rail heritage."

Other Cheshire MPs spoke about railway connections in Cheshire.

Aphra Brandreth, the Conservative MP for Chester South and Eddisbury said Crewe Station provided "vital transport links" for her constituency, and also raised the prospect of electrifying the track between Crewe and Chester.

Labour's Sarah Russell, MP for Congleton, said many of her constituents used the station and that better transport links "could bring economic growth for passengers and others".

Meanwhile, Mid-Cheshire Labour MP Andrew Cooper said he had spoken to business leaders who had been put off from investing in Cheshire "by the sheer dilapidation of the station".

Mr Naismith said he agreed with him, and that Crewe Station was a "shop window" for investment due to the rail heritage in the town.

Ms Greenwood said that the government "cannot reverse" the previous government's decision to cancel the northern leg of HS2, but did "recognise concerns about rail capacity and connectivity between Birmingham and Manchester".

She said the government was considering "a range of potential solutions", which could include smaller-scale projects or the alternative proposals from the mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

"Crewe has played and will continue to play a central role in our railway network," she said.

"We will continue to work with honorable members, local leaders and the communities that they represent to ensure that we get the delivery of infrastructure projects right."

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