High speed rail line linking Manchester and Leeds with London and Birmingham

Trains

High Speed 2 is a proposed high speed rail line linking Manchester and Leeds with London and Birmingham via a Y-shaped route.

High Speed 2 will cut journey times between the cities, providing fast, efficient connections between businesses in major urban areas, creating jobs in the north and boosting the region’s economic growth.

The proposed route and Manchester station locations – almost certain to be Manchester city centre and potentially also Manchester Airport – are expected to be announced in January 2013.

Despite £9bn of recent upgrades, patronage of the West Coast Mainline is set to exceed capacity again by mid-2020. The West Coast Mainline is the only direct rail link between Manchester and London, and is an economic artery to the north of England. Unless a solution to this lack of capacity can be found, it will limit the future growth of the economy of the north. Rather than upgrade the West Coast Mainline again, a more effective longterm solution is a new, dedicated high speed rail network linking the UK’s most important cities, such as London, Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds: High Speed 2 (HS2).

HS2 is not an alternative approach to investment in the existing rail network, but an addition. It will free up space on the conventional network, providing capacity for commuter, shorter distance and freight services.

Catalyst for economic growth HS2 is essential to the long term economic growth of the north of England. By reducing journey times between major cities and areas second central business district forming around the new station, creating 20,000 jobs. This has helped bridge the economic divide between Paris and the French regions. There are strong parallels between Manchester and Lyon and the evidence suggests that Greater Manchester and its business community would prosper in a similar way if linked by high speed rail to Birmingham and London.

HS2 is more than a public transport scheme: it will create jobs, increase productivity, improve access to commercial opportunities and help the north of England to reach its full economic potential. Transport for Greater Manchester supports the principle of a high speed rail link for Greater Manchester, and believe that it is essential to the long-term growth of the economy across the north of England. To bring maximum benefits to the northern economy, TfGM believes there should be a station at Manchester Airport as well as in Manchester city centre.

The Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd are expected to announce the route alignment and station locations from Birmingham to Manchester in January 2013. This is likely to attract significant public interest. TfGM will be working with local partners and businesses to ensure that the strategic benefits of the scheme are reiterated in Greater Manchester.

Demonstrating the support of the business community will be crucial to ensuring continued Government backing to this policy and we would welcome the support of business leaders in making the case.