WINSFORD’S MP has branded HS2 the ‘wrong project in the wrong place’, and called for further research into providing double-decker trains on the West Coast Main Line instead.

The Eddisbury constituency member outlined his opposition to the £42.6 billion railway line following the release of Sir David Higgins’ HS2 Plus report earlier this month.

“To my own surprise, I find myself opposed to HS2,” he said.

“Having examined the successive, inconsistent business cases made for it, I have concluded that this is the wrong project in the wrong place.”

HS2 Plus, unveiled on March 17, envisages placing Cheshire central to the line’s delivery.

Under the plans, Crewe would get a ‘hub’ station, freeing up capacity on the West Coast Main Line for extra services to and from Winsford.

Supporters say HS2 will free up room on the at-capacity West Coast Main Line, connect the north to the continent and deliver faster journeys between Britain’s cities.

But Mr O’Brien said time savings on HS2’s faster trains were ‘of little consequence to many business people’.

He added: “If the aim is to rebalance the economy away from London and to help regional towns and cities then it would be far better to invest in the rail and wider intercity transport infrastructure of the north to improve regional links.

“Given that the main justification for the project has turned to the capacity challenges facing our rail network, I would be keen to see a more transparent discussion of other ways of increasing capacity on the current WCML – from double-decker carriages to a reconfiguration of first and standard class carriages to create more room during peak hours.”

Meanwhile, Ros Todhunter of pressure group, Mid Cheshire Against HS2, wanted to see greater investment in local services.

“We need local investment within the region,” she said. “For example, the rail service to Manchester from Northwich takes over an hour, yet the distance is little over 20 miles.

“HS2 will do nothing to solve such issues. It has too few stops and benefits a tiny minority of rail journeys and a miniscule amount of total journeys over all modes.”