Plans for new rail services between London Euston Manchester via Crewe have been unveiled, following the cancellation of HS2's northern leg.

Operator, London Northwestern Railway, wants to extend its existing services, which run between London Euston and Crewe, to Manchester Victoria, via the West Midlands.

Proposals set to be submitted seek to use the same track space on the West Coast Main Line that Virgin Trains and Lumo have announced open access bids for.

London Northwestern Railway is also proposing to start running trains to Manchester Airport, extending its existing service between Stafford and Crewe (Ryan Parker).

A decision on which services can be launched, including the route via Crewe, 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 go ahead, new direct links from Rugeley, Lichfield, Tamworth and Atherstone in the West Midlands to Manchester city centre and Warrington would be introduced from summer 2026.

The rail provider is also proposing to start running trains to Manchester Airport, extending its existing service between Stafford and Crewe.

Managing director of London Northwestern Railway, Ian McConnell, 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.

Managing director of London Northwestern Railway, Ian McConnell (London Northwestern Railway).

"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 per cent cheaper than the main intercity operator."

Most train operators in England, including London Northwestern Railway, are paid a management fee, with the UK Government holding responsibility for costs and revenue.

Open access operators receive no taxpayer-funded subsidies, taking on all revenue risk.

London Northwestern Railway's announcements come after Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, cancelled the HS2 northern leg last October.

HS2 would have seen between five and seven high-speed trains stopping at Crewe per hour (Ryan Parker).

It intends to formally submit its plans to the ORR later this year.

HS2 would have seen between five and seven high-speed trains stopping at Crewe per hour.

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