HS2 vision locally under spotlight

Key players from the region's railway industry will come together tomorrow, Thursday December 4th to outline the benefits of the proposed HS2 North West hub station.

They include rail enthusiast and music mogul Pete Waterman and Network Rail's Rupert Walker who will be just some of the main speakers at the Next Generation Rail Cheshire conference at Crewe Hall.

The event will provide a platform for Cheshire East and colleagues to outline their vision for HS2 in Cheshire and Staffordshire.

HS2 chairman Sir David Higgins is advising the Government that a new station in Crewe should be built and operational by 2027, five years earlier than first expected.

Journey times between Crewe and London would be cut to just 55 minutes, 35 minutes quicker than the fastest current journey.

Pete Waterman will talk about how the country can build on its Victorian rail heritage to make the network fit for modern day travel needs. Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)'s Christine Gaskell will be talking about the huge economic benefits expected in Cheshire from the HS2 investment and Rupert Walker will discuss how high-speed rail will create a better rail network for Britain.

Mathew Conway, Director of OSL Global, will also be offering insight into the roles of University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and OSL's own training facility RETA (Royal Exchange Training Academy) that will be a host venue for industry-led projects.

Other subjects up for discussion will be around minimising the construction impacts of HS2 and addressing the rail 'skills challenge'.

For more information on the conference and a detailed schedule of speakers, please visit www.nextgenerationrail.co.uk

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