The government is to lay a bill in parliament to extend HS2 from Crewe up to Manchester and beyond. This is a new phase of the £96 billion commitment in the Integrated Rail Plan to deliver faster and better journeys across the North. New High Speed stations will also be built at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport, making way for new lines to Leeds and Liverpool, as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail.

If approved, the High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill will allow HS2 to continue its journey from Crewe to Manchester, creating a new transport spine across the North with more capacity, improved reliability and a reduction in journey times.

This includes cutting travel from London to Manchester by around 55 minutes and Birmingham to Manchester by up to 45 minutes.

The government estimates the project will bring 17,500 jobs supporting the construction of the Crewe to Manchester leg and further jobs in the supply chain expected to follow. This includes skilled permanent jobs, including in rolling stock depots to be established north of Crewe, as well as in Dumfries and Galloway.

See: North West on track to benefit from faster and more reliable train journeys as bill for next phase of HS2 to be laid in Parliament – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)