High speed rail is an engine for growth that will help to drive regional regeneration and invigorate our regional economies, the Government has claimed.
Britain must seize the unparalleled opportunity presented by high speed 2 (HS2) to generate jobs, rebalance the economy and secure the country’s future prosperity, the Prime Minister said.
The proposed route and the locations of new stations in the West Midlands, north west, East Midlands and Yorkshire were unveiled this morning as David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin underlined the government’s absolute commitment to investing in the infrastructure that Britain needs to compete and succeed in the global economy.
The publication today of the 211-mile northern phase two route of HS2, part of the government’s mid-term review, follows the confirmation a year ago of HS2’s 140-mile southern phase one route between London and Birmingham, which starts construction in four years and opens to passengers in 13 years. The routes announced today, running from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, will open six years after that.
Mr McLoughlin has also confirmed that the consultation on the proposed routes published today will be brought forward to start in 2013 rather than in 2014. He has also ordered the Department for Transport to look into whether the project can be fast-tracked so that the second phase of HS2 is completed ahead of the scheduled completion date of 2032.
HS2 and phase two: ten key points
New stations at Manchester, Manchester Airport, Leeds, Sheffield and the East Midlands will bring communities and businesses in and around those areas closer together with each other, Birmingham, London and beyond. Crewe will be served by a dedicated link alongside the high speed line. Local transport connections around all high speed stations, particularly at non-city centre locations, will be enhanced.
HS2 will be integrated with the existing national railway network, meaning cities and towns beyond the high speed track up to Scotland – including Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Preston, Warrington, Lancaster, Carlisle, Durham and Darlington - will also benefit from new connections and substantial time savings due to new trains able to use both high speed and conventional railway lines.
HS2 will free up capacity on existing rail lines for more commuter, rural and freight services, and mean fewer cars and lorries on our roads, cutting congestion and carbon.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: "Linking communities and businesses across the country and shrinking the distances between our greatest cities, high speed rail is an engine for growth that will help to drive regional regeneration and invigorate our regional economies. It is vital that we get on board the high-speed revolution.
"We are in a global race and this government’s decision to make high speed rail a reality is another example of the action we taking to equip Britain to compete and thrive in that race. High speed rail is a catalyst that will help to secure economic prosperity across Britain, rebalance our economy and support tens of thousands of jobs."
