THE HS2 high-speed rail via Crewe will open six years earlier than planned after the government announced it will invest £5 billion to bring the project forward.

Chancellor George Osborne, MP for Tatton, made the landmark statement this morning confirming the finalised route the HS2 project will take.

It also confirmed that the northern section to Crewe would be completed by 2027 rather than 2033.

Cllr Michael Jones, Cheshire East Council leader, hailed the announcement as a ‘game-changer’ that makes it certain that Crewe will get a HS2 hub station.

Cllr Jones said: “This is massive news and a real game changer – not just for Crewe and Cheshire East, but for Stoke, North Staffordshire and the region as a whole.

“This is not simply about high speed – it is crucially about capacity and connectivity.

"The benefits to Crewe and the surrounding area would be massive in terms of jobs and the economy – it’s a real once-in-a-generation opportunity, the like of which Cheshire East has not seen before.

“However, as we have consistently said, we want to reach out to our neighbouring local authorities and see the growth and benefits spread to them as well.”

Cllr Jones announced the council is to establish a new regeneration company to deliver an economic growth strategy for the south Cheshire sub-region.

He will seek Cabinet approval for the release of £500,000 from current budgets to deliver the HS2 programme. This strategy will be a key element of the wider Northern Gateway Partnership.

“This council has put in an enormous amount of work over the past four years to seek to secure HS2 for Crewe and the new regeneration company will build on that,” Cllr Jones said.

“The confirmation of the HS2 route – which makes Crewe the logical place to locate the North West hub – is something we have been looking forward to with real anticipation.

“We want the right solution for Crewe and the wider region – that would enable the economic benefits to be enjoyed across the whole sub-region, stretching along a corridor from North Staffordshire to North Wales and Merseyside.

“A hub station in Crewe would act as the gateway to the Northern Powerhouse and provide a vital link to the Midlands Engine.

“HS2 promises to bring a 21st century railway revolution to Crewe and utterly transform its economic prospects and those of the surrounding region.”

Mr Osborne also announced today that ex-head of the CBI business group John Cridland would chair Transport for the North. This new body will look to improve transport links across the region.

An HS2 Superhub at Crewe would help deliver more than 120,000 new jobs and more than 100,000 new homes across the Northern Gateway partnership area over a 25-year period.

As well as boosting the region’s economy by £10 billion a year by 2040 it should also increase demand for skilled workers.

The council says mid-Cheshire towns including Northwich, Winsford and Middlewich, will see significant economic gains from improved connectivity.

Because of this, the council has backed the creation of Crewe Engineering and Design UTC to boost education and training in the area and broaden and raise the academic and vocational skills of the region’s young people.

The college is due to open its doors to students next September.

The council is also working with Department for Transport and Network Rail to finalise the location of the new HS2 hub station at Crewe that would deliver both the needs of the railway and secure the levels of economic transformation to the Northern Gateway.