The view from the platforms at Warrington Bank Quay train station is pretty bleak.
In one direction is the rusting skeleton of the old Unilever factory, where they used to make washing powder before it finally shut its doors in 2020. In the other there’s a car park and the rear end of the local police station.
Travel journalist Rob Crossan, writing for The Sunday Telegraph earlier this year, named Warrington Bank Quay as one of the five worst stations in the country and said the “hellish” landscape is enough to make commuters “hanker for a strong drink”.
Travellers have to get used to those views – only 28 per cent of trains were on time at the station in the past 12 weeks, with 7 per cent cancelled.
In the months since HS2’s northern leg was axed, much of the focus has been on what cities like Manchester and Liverpool can rescue from the wreckage.
But Warrington, their smaller sibling in the middle, also has an important seat at the table. The town is hoping to get a new “hub” station at Bank Quay as part of plans for a new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester and potentially beyond.
The intention is that the infrastructure would kickstart major regeneration of the surrounding brownfield sites by the River Mersey, bringing 10,000 jobs, at least 3,000 homes and opportunities for new businesses.
But despite years of lobbying by local leaders, plans remain in the balance.
Labour has so far refused to recommit the £12bn promised by the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak when HS2 was axed, claiming the money had never been agreed with the Treasury.
The party’s metro mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram say that is something they won’t accept and have continued to push the idea forward regardless, setting up a new board for the railway line led by former Tory rail minister Huw Merriman.
A report published in September claimed the scheme could be worth an additional £7bn per year in economic growth to the North West, adding 40,000 jobs by 2050 and supporting the construction of 300,000 new homes by 2050.
Speaking as she faced a long wait for a train at Warrington Bank Quay, 17-year-old student Emilia Jones-Sargeant said she would love to see better rail links in the town.
She lives in Frodsham, around 10 miles from where she studies – Priestley college in Warrington. The train is her only access. “My train is really infrequent and if I go at certain times it’s £6 for two stops,” she said.
“There are only two trains a day, I’m on my way to work right now so I have to go really early. It’s become the biggest part of my life. [More rail services] would be really helpful.”
Like many people in the area, Emilia knows people who have been directly affected by the plans for HS2. “My friend had to move house because they wanted to knock her house down – so when it got cancelled that wasn’t great,” she added.
“I’m learning to drive but I don’t know if I’ll be able to buy a car and pay for insurance – my boyfriend just got his insurance and it was £3,000 even after he did his PassPlus.
“It’s ridiculous but that’s the reality that everyone around me is facing, so having the option of good public transport that’s affordable is really important.
“I come to Warrington so much more now – there’s the cinema, the shopping centre, there’s quite a lot to do, you don’t have to move to Manchester or Liverpool.”
Given the timescale of future rail plans, Emilia said political leaders should take into account the views of young people. “We’re the ones with the biggest future, we’re going to reap the benefits the most,” she said.
“I feel like sometimes the North gets split from the South – look at Crossrail, why can’t we have something like that?”
Andy, a 41-year-old civil servant waiting for a delayed train to London Euston, is a frequent user of Warrington Bank Quay and said the station is “just dire”.
“It’s such an unreliable service, you end up going to for the train before,” he said. “We need more [services]. We need to do exactly the same up north as they have in the south and we will be a long way to fixing our problems.
“You go to London and if you want to get anywhere, you can. You can get on the bus for a fixed fare, the Tube is a fixed fare, they might be a bit grubby or busy – but you know you’re going to get there and you have multiple options.”
Andy said he always felt the HS2 project had too much focus on reducing journey times to London for people in the North.
“The crucial bit for me was the link of Liverpool through Warrington to Manchester – that was what was more needed in the North,” he added.
Glancing at the derelict Unilever factory, he said he believed there was great potential to regenerate the area around the station.
“But it depends on the infrastructure projects unlocking the land. And infrastructure projects in the North get looked at by the Treasury and they think, ‘This isn’t going to deliver as much money as a yard of Crossrail so we’ll do that instead’
“People in Whitehall and the Treasury haven’t got a clue – they need to give the budgets to the North and just say to the regional mayors, ‘Get on with it.’ You know they want to do it, they just need the money, they want the funding.
“This is the problem though, they get promised something and then it never gets delivered.”
