The line then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways upon nationalisation in 1948.

In addition to its main line calls, the station also served as the terminus of a local service from Crewe via Sandbach and Northwich until 1942.

When sectorisation was introduced, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail.

Trains of the InterCity sector passed through on express services along the West Coast Main Line.

The latter briefly provided services beyond Birmingham all the way to London Euston until the drop in demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic meant that this was unviable; as a result, the service was cut once more to terminate at Birmingham New Street, via Crewe and Wolverhampton.