Access to the Cheshire East Area

By Road

Cheshire East has excellent road links. The M53, M56 and M6 motorways provide easy access to the North and South of the UK and continental Europe. The A51 provides a direct link to Chester and North Wales and the A500 links to Stoke-on-Trent and the West Midlands.

Road travel times to major UK destinations

By Air

The nearest airports are Manchester International and Liverpool John Lennon.  Manchester Airport has been a key influence on growth and inward investment for the Cheshire East area.

Manchester International

Manchester International Airport is the international gateway for the North of England and the UK’s largest regional airport handling 22 million passengers a year and it is expected to handle 40.7 million passengers by 2015. More than 100 airlines offer direct flights from Manchester to 225 destinations worldwide, more than any other UK airport.

Facilities at the airport includes 550,000 sq ft freight terminal, 100 on-site agents and freight forwarders, six transit shed operators, dedicated chiller unit and a border inspection post.

Liverpool John Lennon

Liverpool John Lennon Airport is the UK’s eleventh largest and longest established airports and is situated adjacent to the River Mersey, 7 miles south east of Liverpool city centre, with excellent transport links to Liverpool and beyond. 

Liverpool John Lennon has been one of Europe’s fastest growing airports, having increased its annual passenger number from 875,000 in 1998 to 5.52 million in 2007.

Birmingham International

Birmingham International Airport is the UK’s sixth largest airport and second largest outside of London.  The airport is within 65 miles of East Cheshire.  In 2006, it handled over nine million passengers through its two terminals and acts as the Midlands’ premier gateway to Europe, Scandinavia, North America, the Middle East and the Indian sub-continent.

East Midlands

East Midlands Airport is the UK’s twelfth largest airport and is within 55 miles of East Cheshire. East Midlands Airport is a true regional hub, connecting 5 million passengers to over 80 destinations in 2006 alone. As the UK’s largest pure freight airport, it’s a thriving base for DHL and UPS and is the Royal Mail’s main air hub.

Aviation related organisations

• UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
• UK Civil Aviation Authority: Environmental Information
• National Air Traffic Services (NATS)
• International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)
• BAA plc
• Strategic Aviation Special Interest Group (SASIG)
• Aviation Environment Federation (AEF)
• HACAN / Clearskies
• UK Airport News

By Rail

Crewe Railway Station is at the hub of the British railway system. Frequent trains to London and Scotland combine with more local services to Birmingham and Manchester.  There is also a direct rail link to Manchester Airport from Crewe Station. Local stations across Cheshire East link to the Crewe Railway Station.

Other Main Rail Stations in Cheshire East:

• Macclesfield
• Wilmslow
• Alsager
• Congleton
• Holmes Chapel
• Sandbach

Rail Travel Times from Crewe

By Sea

Liverpool and Birkenhead benefits from Freeport Status and offers freedom from import duty, import VAT and EU levies and quotas. It handles up to £3 million worth of goods per week from over 80 countries.

Ellesmere Port's three quays handle containers, Ro-Ro and Bulk cargoes of up to 15,000 tonnes, with rail freight connections to British Rail services.

The rapidly expanding Royal Seaforth Docks complex at Liverpool has Ro-Ro berths and a freight liner terminal.

Planning your Journey to East Cheshire

If you don't know your service number or need to travel using a mixture of different travel modes then you can use Cheshire East Council's Transport and Travel pages for reference or use the Transport Direct journey planner.

If your journey only involves the train or a National Express coach service then you are better going direct to their own websites, which provide full service details along with fare and booking information:

• National Rail the gateway to Britain's National Rail network.
• National Express website - details of their UK and European services.

The Transport Direct site is not fully accessible. If you have difficulty using the site you can call the Cheshire Traveline for timetable information for any bus, rail or coach service serving Cheshire and Warrington on 0871 200 22 33 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras) open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm.

Cheshire Traveline can now accept calls using the Text Relay system. For more information visit the Text Relay website or call 18001 0871 200 22 33.