New high speed rail link between Leeds and Manchester proposed

CHANCELLOR George Osborne is to propose a high speed rail line between Manchester and Leeds to create a “Northern powerhouse”.

Speaking in Manchester today, the Chancellor will say that the east-west link should be considered as part of a review into the second phase of the £50bn HS2 high-speed rail project.

He will touch on a widely held view that connectivity needs to improve between the Northern cities, especially if they are to benefit from HS2 which is expected to arrive in Leeds and Manchester from London in 2033.

Critics of HS2 have also argued for better Northern links. It currently takes around 50 minutes to cover the 35 miles between Manchester and Leeds. Services to Liverpool, which does not appear to feature in the nascent HS3 plan, can take the same amount of time over a similar distance.

In his speech the Chancellor will say: “There is a hard truth we need to address. The cities of the north are individually strong, but collectively not strong enough.

“The whole is less than the sum of its parts. So the powerhouse of London dominates more and more. That’s not healthy for our economy. It’s not good for our country.

“We need a Northern powerhouse too. Not one city, but a collection of northern cities – sufficiently close to each other that combined they can take on the world. Able to provide jobs and opportunities and security to the many, many people who live here, and for whom this is all about.”

A high speed line between Manchester and Leeds would be based on the existing rail route, with new tunnels and infrastructure.

Close