Road
The Council is responsible for 2,283km of roads and 203km of cycle routes. A further 70km of Motorway and Trunk Road including parts of the M6, M56, M53, A55 and A550 managed by National Highways.
Within the borough, there are 25,909 households without a car or van, 63,368 households with 1 car or van, 49,589 households with 2 cars or vans in the household and 16,290 households with 3 or more cars or vans. (Source Car or Van availability)
Public transport networks
Cheshire West and Chester has a number of important strategic public transport linkages. It is serviced by a number of major rail lines and parts of the area benefit from relatively well used bus networks.
Rail
There are 21 rail stations within Cheshire West and Chester, with a wide offer in terms of destinations beyond the borough. The West Coast Main Line runs through the centre of the area. There are stations at Acton Bridge, Hartford and Winsford, but these are not served by Inter-City services to London or Scotland, for which a connection is needed at Crewe or Warrington Bank Quay.
The borough is also served by the Merseyrail network, which provides frequent electrified services on the Wirral Line between Liverpool, Chester and Ellesmere Port. Stations within the borough on the Merseyrail Network include Chester, Bache, Capenhurst, Hooton and Ellesmere Port, providing important commuter links to the Liverpool City Region.
The Borderlands Line (Wrexham to Bidston) also serves the borough, with a station at Neston. The line connects communities in West Cheshire with Deeside, Wrexham and the wider Merseyrail network at Bidston, where passengers can interchange for services to Liverpool and the Wirral. The line therefore performs an important role in supporting cross-boundary movements between Cheshire West and Chester, North Wales and the Liverpool City Region.
Helsby and Frodsham stations provide additional strategic rail connectivity within the borough. Both stations are located on the Chester to Manchester corridor and offer services towards Chester, Warrington and Manchester, supporting commuter and business travel across the wider North West. Helsby also acts as an interchange point between local and regional rail services and serves surrounding rural communities. These stations contribute to sustainable transport objectives by providing alternatives to private car travel and supporting access to employment, education and service across the sub-region.
Bus
The borough is served by around 50 routes, largely focused on Chester, Ellesmere Port, Northwich and Winsford– although the network is denser in the west than the east. The rural areas are served by considerably fewer and less frequent services, with many villages not served by any frequent bus services. There are no direct services between Winsford and Chester, or between Ellesmere Port and either Northwich or Winsford, and only an hourly service between Chester and Northwich.
Health
Cheshire West and Chester is served by an extensive a healthcare network comprising approximately 70 GP surgeries, alongside pharmacies, dental practices and community health services distributed across the borough. Primary care services are supported by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides a range of community, mental health and specialist healthcare services.
The borough's principal acute healthcare facility is the Countess of Chester Hospital, which provides accident and emergency, inpatient, outpatient and specialist services. The Trust also manages Ellesmere Port Hospital, which provides rehabilitation, intermediate care and outpatient services. Healthcare infrastructure will need to respond to forecast population growth and an ageing population over the Local Plan period, which are likely to increase demand for primary, community and acute healthcare services.
Active travel
There is an extensive network of public rights of way and cycle routes. This includes a 1280km Public Rights of Way including 2,443km of footways and 88km of bridleway. The National Cycle Network in the Borough is some 131km in length, while Regional Routes cover a further 217km. Additional circular and traffic free routes extend the cycle network by a further 155km.
The Department for Transport produced the planning local cycling and walking networks guidance in 2017. This provides technical guidance and tools to help local authorities plan cycling and walking infrastructure and can be accessed here: Planning local cycling and walking networks - GOV.UK.
Waterways
There are four navigable waterways within Cheshire West and Chester, the Manchester Ship Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal, the Weaver Navigation and the Trent and Mersey Canal.
Education
There are currently over 190 educational establishments in the borough including one University (Chester), 10 sixth form college, 129 primary schools and 20 secondary schools. The majority of the schools are in local authority-maintained schools but there are a number of private schools, free schools and academies.
Culture
Main museums include: Grosvenor Chester; Stretton Watermill; Lion Salt Works; Northwich and Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse (Northwich); Cheshire Military Museum (Chester) and the National Waterways Museum (Ellesmere Port). Theatres include Storyhouse, Chester; Theatre Porto, Ellesmere Port; and the Harlequin Theatre, Northwich.
Energy and gas
Cheshire West and Chester is served by the Scottish Power Manweb electricity distribution network, operated by SP Energy Networks (SPEN). The network supplies homes, businesses and industry across the brough and will play a key role in supporting future growth.
Electricity demand is expected to increase over the Local Plan period as more homes and businesses switch to technologies such as electric vehicles, heat pumps and renewable energy systems. This may require upgrades to parts of the local electricity network to provide sufficient capacity for the new development. SPEN’s network capacity mapping shows that capacity varies across the network, with some substations having limited available capacity and requiring reinforcement before significant new connections can be accommodated.
Natural gas remains an important source of energy, particularly for heating homes and businesses. However, national statistics show that both electricity and gas consumption have generally declined over the last decade as buildings become more energy efficient. ONS data for Cheshire West and Chester shows average domestic electricity consumption has fallen significantly from 3,341 kWh per meter in 2012, to 2,515 kWh per meter in 2024 (Source: Domestic electricity consumption - ONS)
There has also been a large decrease in domestic gas consumption from 16,546 kWh per meter in 2012, to 11,279 kWh per meter in 2024. This represents a reduction of 32% demonstrating a decline in gas demand (Source: Domestic gas consumption - ONS).
The borough has opportunities to support a range of renewable and low-carbon energy technologies, including solar power, wind energy, battery storage, district heating and energy-from-waste projects. These technologies can help improve energy security, reduce carbon emissions and support the Council's climate objectives.
Broadband
In Cheshire West and Chester as of July 2026, 86% of premises now have full fibre broadband availability compared to 78% of the UK. 98% of the borough’s premises have access to superfast broadband (the same as the UK) and 87% have access to Ultrafast broadband (compared to 86% UK average). 1% of premises in Cheshire West and Chester are unable to receive at least 10Mbit/s broadband, which is the same for the UK.