The government has announced the second phase of its High Speed 2 rail project which will link Birmingham with Manchester, east Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin revealed the preferred route for the second phase of the HS2 project today (January 28) in a written statement. Details of the first phase of HS2 from London’s Euston to Birmingham were revealed a year ago.
The Y-shaped route unveiled today from Birmingham will involve the building of 211 miles of new track and five stations in the following locations:
- Manchester (alongside the existing city centre terminal at Manchester Piccadilly)
- Manchester Airport (linked directly to Manchester Airport’s three terminals)
- Leeds (in the South Bank area of the city centre)
- South Yorkshire (at Sheffield Meadowhall, alongside the M1)
- East Midlands (between Nottingham and Derby at Toton, alongside the M1)
The first phase of HS2 is due to be completed in 2026 and the extension revealed today is planned to be operational by 2032. A proposed HS2 link to Heathrow has been put on hold until the Davies Commission into airport capacity makes its recommendations in 2015.
McLoughlin said: “There will be a comprehensive programme of engagement on all aspects of phase two and a public consultation, planned originally for 2014, has been brought forward to begin ahead of schedule this year.
“HS2 will be integrated with the existing national railway network allowing cities and towns in England and Scotland beyond the high speed tracks – including Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Preston, Warrington, Lancaster, Carlisle, Durham and Darlington – to benefit also from new connections and dramatic time savings thanks to trains able to use both conventional and high speed railway lines.”
For more details about the HS2 routes, click here