In the week that murmurings of HS2's local phase being cancelled, two Macclesfield rail operators have committed their future to serving the town.

The UK government this morning confirmed that both Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry trains have been awarded new long-term rail contracts.

Both run services through Macclesfield, to places like Oxford, London and Bournemouth.

Starting on 15 October 2023, Avanti West Coast's new National Rail Contract will have a core term of 3 years and a maximum possible term of 9 years. After 3 years, the Transport Secretary can terminate the contract at any point with 3 months' notice.

Mark Harper has been the Transport Secretary since 2022. (Image - UK Government Rory Arnold / No 10 Downing Street Unchanged https://tinyurl.com/2yxwh5dn)

Meanwhile, the department has also today awarded Cross Country a new National Rail Contract, with a core term of 4 years and a maximum possible term of 8 years.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "The routes Avanti West Coast operate provide vital connections, and passengers must feel confident that they can rely on the services to get them where they need to be at the right time."

"Over the past year, short-term contracts were necessary to rebuild the timetable and reduce cancellations. Now Avanti are back on track, providing long-term certainty for both the operator and passengers will best ensure that improvements continue."

Shamit Gaiger, Managing Director, of West Coast Partnership Development, said: "The new National Rail Contract will enable us to continue to focus on the design, development and implementation of future high-speed services on the network as we aim to set new standards in UK rail.

An Avanti train leaves Macclesfield. (Image - Macclesfield Nub News)

"We are committed to working with our partners to realise the benefits these services will provide to our economy, communities and passengers.

"As the infrastructure is built, we will ensure customers are at the heart of future high-speed services on the West Coast."

(Source)

See Also: Here's what Macclesfield charity Space4Autism will spend Co-op cash on

Browse the best Macclesfield jobs on our Macclesfield jobs page. 

Macclesfield: Have you signed up for our FREE Friday weekly newsletter? It contains each week's top five Macclesfield news stories, and one EXCLUSIVE article?

Simply enter your email address on this link.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.