The process of designing a new High Speed 2 hub station for Crewe is now underway, with the Department For Transport, Cheshire East Council and Network Rail all working on the plans.
The aim is to work out how the super-hub would best serve both HS2 and the West Coast main line, with the section from Birmingham to Crewe set to be the first element of the second phase to be built and completed by 2027.
As well as creating hundreds of construction jobs in the area, the station is expected to generate around 64,000 jobs in Crewe and 100,000 more across the north-west region.
Rachel Bailey, the new leader of East cheshire Council, told the Crewe Chronicle: "I would like to stress that we are not expecting a decision on this until the autumn but we endorse the preparatory work being undertaken by Network Rail, Department for Transport and HS2 in exploring design options."
Plans to speed up the development of the link to Crewe by five years were drawn up last year.
