Peter Swallow the managing director of Chesterfield Waterside, has welcomed today’s announcement that the HS2 high speed rail link through Derbyshire will include a station at Chesterfield.
He said: “Proposals for the HS2 stop in Chesterfield and Staveley maintenance depot, had already sparked a surge of interest in the town helping to raise the town’s profile even further, and promoted Chesterfield to a different league of investor. Key developments like Peak Resort and Chesterfield Waterside are already well underway and HS2 will help make Chesterfield a destination in its own right; and an HS2 stop in the town is another massive step forward.”
HS2 further strengthens Chesterfield’s location and connectivity which has always given the town a unique appeal, particularly with those looking to invest.”
The main HS2 high speed rail link will follow a route through north Derbyshire and South Yorkshire, with a spur coming off that would serve Chesterfield and Sheffield city centre. It was also confirmed that Staveley will be home to an HS2 maintenance depot, creating jobs and helping to develop the former industrial sites in the area as part of a wider regeneration plan.
In total, construction of the full HS2 route to the north-west and Yorkshire will create up to 25,000 jobs and 2,000 apprenticeships. Another 3,000 people will operate HS2 and it is estimated that growth around new HS2 stations will create another 100,000 jobs.
The £55billion project has been branded a “game changer” by ministers because many services are currently “full to overflowing”. Work on the first phase, from London to Birmingham, is due to begin after plans were passed in February 2017.
Phase 1 is due to open in December 2026 and will see trains travel at high speed between London and Birmingham – cutting through areas of Buckinghamshire and the Midlands.,
The Chesterfield line features in Phase 2 of the HS2 project. Phase 2 is Y-shaped and takes the high speed line to the north east and north west of England. The route to Leeds and York will run east of Sheffield. The western route will see trains pass from Crewe to Manchester.
Ministers say the line will be finished by around 2032 and 2033. Once complete, the number of passengers between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds per hour could treble to 15,000, and there should be 48 commuter and intercity trains an hour between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds – a 65 per cent rise from the current 29 per cent
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: “HS2 is an ambitious and exciting project and the Government is seizing the opportunity it offers to build a transport network fit for the 21st century, one that works for all and makes clear to the world that Britain remains open for business.
“The full HS2 route will be a game-changer for the country that will slash journey times and perhaps most importantly give rail passengers on the existing network thousands of extra seats every day. They represent the greatest upgrade to our railway in living memory.”
Phase 1, Basin Square of Chesterfield Waterside is adjacent to Chesterfield mainline station. Around 1000 homes are planned for the development, making it an ideal commuter belt following news of the HS2 rail link set to come to Chesterfield.