City leaders discuss HS2 route

TRANSPORT Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, met the leader of Manchester City Council Richard Leese and Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson yesterday to discuss the North West spur of the planned HS2 high speed rail line.

The government is still working on the route of the North West line which will go to Manchester and Liverpool, due for completion by 2033.

The Y-shaped line will first go from from London to Birmingham before heading to the North West and Yorkshire. Construction of the Birmingham link is due to start in 2017 and be finished by 2026.

In a statement Mr McLoughlin said: “We have been working closely with Manchester and Liverpool so that HS2 generates even more opportunities for people and businesses across the North West.

“When I announce my preferred route for the next stage of the project, we will be able to show how we have further improved our plans to deliver even greater benefits to the area.”