Crewe Truck Stop says years of uncertainty surrounding the HS2 high-speed rail project have left the business fighting for survival, despite remaining popular with regular customers from around the UK and abroad.
Owner Ian Prophett said a long-running compulsory purchase process has caused severe damage to customer confidence, staff retention, and long-term investment at one of the northwest’s best-known independent transport facilities.
He had agreed to sell the site to Network Rail as part of wider rail works in Crewe. Then, in the October 2023 cancellation of the Manchester leg by the Conservative government killed off the need for tracks beyond the town.
“Everything was done. It was signed,” Prophett said. “We told the staff we were closing and made everybody redundant. Then, literally one week before completion, Network Rail turned up and said they don’t need it anymore.”
By then, the damage was done. “That was three years ago, and we still have people believing Crewe Truck Stop had closed. We never closed.”
Before HS2 loomed, the truck stop averaged 109 overnight vehicles daily, with weekday volumes reaching 140. Today, that average has fallen to around 72.
Local MP Connor Naismith is backing the business. “I’ve made a point of championing local independent businesses since I was elected,” he said.
“This uncertainty has had a lasting impact on customer confidence at the Crewe Truck Stop, and I would be happy to meet with Mr Prophett to discuss the possibility of raising his story in Parliament.”
Connor Naismith added: “It’s no secret that I am an advocate for the completion of the proposed HS2 plans in full and greater investment in railway infrastructure around Crewe Railway Station more generally.
“However, for investors and local businesses to have confidence in those plans, there must be a clear signal from Government that they will be carried out.”
Ian Prophett remains critical of the liaison process. During one meeting, officials arrived with aerial photographs of alternative sites owned by other industries or the Duchy of Lancaster. “None of it was for sale,” he said. “They literally just presented us with a field and left us to get on with it.”
HS2 Limited defended its position. “We recognise that people did not choose for their homes or businesses to be in the path of a high-speed railway,” the company stated.
“We understand the frustration they may now feel following the cancellation of the northern sections of HS2. At all times we endeavour to be understanding and to provide appropriate support and guidance.”
Meanwhile, financial pressures have intensified for the business. Heating oil bills for the café and refurbished shower block have risen from £700 per delivery to over £2,000.
Prophett said: “We don’t want to keep putting prices up because the transport industry is struggling too.
“If the numbers don’t come back eventually, there will come a point where it simply isn’t worth carrying on.”
Despite everything, Prophett insists the business remains committed to drivers. He said: “We are still here, still operating and open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. There is always somebody on the gate.”
