DAVID Cameron has said the HS2 hub in Crewe will have an “enormous impact” on the town after a report recommended that it should be home to the new station.

Sir David Higgins issued his backing for the town in a report published on Monday.

His proposals include bringing forward plans for a hub station at Crewe to 2027, with the Government setting out its detailed plans for Phase Two of the multi-billion-pound project in 2015.

The Prime Minister told the Guardian the hub would make the town a gateway to the north west and beyond.

“This will have an enormous impact on Crewe,” he said.

“The recommendations say the hub for the north west should be here in Crewe, making it the gateway to the region and beyond, though other options will still be explored.

“Journeys to London will be cut from an hour and a half to just 55 minutes. Along with a new station at Warrington West and the recently upgraded Crewe Station, this forms the biggest investment in the railways since the Victorians.

“And like the age of steam, the age of high speed will be of historic significance for Crewe, helping us to create a northern powerhouse that rivals London, Berlin, New York and Shanghai.

“But this isn’t about winning international competitions or getting one over other countries. Our long-term economic plan is about making life better for you, for readers of the Crewe Guardian.

"For too long in this country, people felt they were slogging their guts out and being taxed to the hilt but not getting the public services or the standard of living they deserved.

“There was a sense that Britain’s best days were behind us. Our mission is to turn that around. We want a Britain where hardworking families can have the reward of a meaningful job and a good quality of life, where they have access to good services.

“Ultimately, we want them to have peace of mind that the future will be one of stability and opportunity, that Crewe is a place moving forward, not staying still. And bringing HS2 and HS3 to the north will help us secure that better future in two important ways.”

Edward Timpson, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, added: “HS2 will open up South Cheshire to international business by providing the extra rail capacity and speed from London that we so badly need. This can only mean more jobs for local people.

“I have been working very hard in Westminster to make the case for an HS2 hub station at Crewe, and to speed up the project. Patrick McLoughlin, the Secretary of State for Transport, is sick of me pestering him!

“So to be told that the evidence is pointing towards an integrated, HS2 hub station at Crewe and that it will be able to bring high levels of benefits is fantastic.”