WARRINGTON Bank Quay is in line for improvements ahead of the introduction of HS2 rail services at the station in 2026.

The Cheshire and Warrington Local Transport Body has discussed the possibility of an additional study and business case for ‘multi-modal’ access to Bank Quay, with links to HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.

The proposal, which has been labelled as a short-term priority, is linked to the council’s Transforming Cities Bid, as well as the Warrington New City programme.

It would look to identify measures to improve access to the station for drivers, pedestrians and bus users to maximise the connectivity of the station when HS2 services begin.

The council confirmed commuters using the site can expect to see changes.

A spokesman said: “Warrington Bank Quay, as one of the two main line railway stations serving Warrington, already plays an important role in providing access to and from Warrington.

“Over the years, we have worked in partnership with the rail industry to deliver a range of improvements to the station.

“These include improvements to the forecourt, which aided access for picking up and dropping off of passengers by car and taxi, the provision of additional cycle parking, additional car parking, with the provision of a second car park off Slutchers Lane and improvements to the subway, concourse and platform areas.

“With the arrival of HS2 rail services at Warrington Bank Quay, planned for 2026, we are working with partners across the rail industry to identify improvements to the station to accommodate HS2 services and also potentially Northern Powerhouse Rail services.”

The authority has also pointed to Transport for the North’s ambitious £70 billion strategic transport plan, with borough chiefs tipping it to benefit the town.

The spokesman added: “This work is referenced in Transport for the North’s strategic transport plan and is currently at an early stage, with no business case produced as of yet.

“Regular updates will be provided on the progression of this work.

“It is important that any future improvements to the station ensure that access for passengers is ‘multi-modal’ and, therefore, accessible by all types of transport, whether on foot, bicycle, bus, taxi, car or train.

“An example of this is that in 2018 Warrington’s Own Buses introduced the new Cheshire Cat services, altering the route to serve Bank Quay station after we introduced complementary traffic management measures to speed up this service.

“This now allows bus passengers from across the south of Warrington to easily access train services at Bank Quay.”