Plans for new train services between London and Manchester have been announced today (July 1), following the cancellation of HS2’s northern leg. Train operator London Northwestern Railway is looking to extend its existing services, which currently run between the capital and Crewe, to Manchester Victoria via the West Midlands.
Like train operators Virgin Trains and Lumo, who have both submitted open access bids, London Northwestern Railway is seeking to use the same track space on the West Coast Main Line. A decision on which services can be launched will be made by the Department for Transport and regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
If London Northwestern Railway’s proposal is given the green light, new regular direct links from Rugeley, Lichfield, Tamworth and Atherstone in the West Midlands to Manchester city centre and Warrington would be introduced from summer 2026 using Class 730 electric trains. The bid to link London, the West Midlands and Manchester comes after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cancelled the plan to extend the HS2 high-speed line between the West Midlands and Manchester amid spiralling costs in October last year.
Ian McConnell, managing director of London Northwestern Railway-owner West Midlands Trains, said: “This proposal puts passengers at the heart of the railway and is the common sense solution to increase connectivity between the North West and the West Midlands following the cancellation of the northern leg of HS2. With platform space at Euston at a premium, the best way to provide new journey opportunities to Manchester is simply to extend existing services, rather than trying to squeeze more trains onto the congested West Coast Main Line.
“Additionally, unlike the open access model, the millions of pounds of extra revenue our proposals would generate will be returned to the taxpayer, providing a win-win for rail passengers. Just as we have shown with our existing long-distance services to Birmingham and Liverpool, our green and environmentally-friendly new electric trains will provide an affordable alternative to the car and coach, with fares up to 50% cheaper than the main intercity operator.”
As well as the proposal to extend our London Euston-Crewe services to Manchester Victoria, London Northwestern Railway are also proposing to begin running trains to Manchester Airport. This will involve extending their existing service between Stafford and Crewe, providing direct connectivity to the airport from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
London Northwestern Railway aim to submit their proposals to the ORR for consideration in the second half of 2024. If approved, the new services could commence from May 2026 once additional train crew have been recruited and trained.
In contrast, the new Lumo service submitted to the ORR would see the direct Rochdale to London link via Manchester Victoria restored, calling at Eccles, Newton-le-Willows and Warrington Bank Quay. As for Virgin Trains, the train operator plans to run a direct rail service from Bolton and Horwich to London Euston.