High Speed Rail Link

Commenting on the news that Manchester will be one of the city’s connected to the proposed new High Speed Rail Link, Richard Critchley, Policy Manager for Transport at Greater Manchester Chamber, said: “This is excellent news for the future of rail travel in Greater Manchester and the North West.

“Our local economy relies on strong connections and fast, reliable services to other cities and in particular London. Today’s announcement paves the way for a revolution in journey speeds bringing Greater Manchester closer to key markets, with predictions that productivity benefits alone could be worth tens of billions to the national economy.

“A dedicated high-speed line would free up capacity on existing routes, enabling enhancements to commuter and freight services, whilst making Greater Manchester an even more attractive location in which to invest, visit and study. Today’s announcement will put our city on the map.

“Our primary concern now is to ensure that the Government commits funding to enable this development to happen. With the current state of Government finances, it is unclear how any major infrastructure works will be delivered.”