The prime minister will make the case for the £33bn High Speed Rail 2 (HS2) project being an engine for regional regeneration today, as he unveils details of phase two of the route in the midlands and north.
The preferred route of phase two running northwards from Birmingham will have five stops at: Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton in the East Midlands; Sheffield; and Leeds.
Following considerable opposition to the phase one London-Birmingham stage of HS2, from mainly Conservative councils in the Tory heartlands, the cabinet will meet in the north today to help sell the benefits to the region.
‘High-speed rail is an engine for growth that will help to drive regional regeneration. It is vital that we get on board the high-speed revolution,’ David Cameron is expected to say.
The blueprint for HS2 phase two will include a branch into Manchester and endorse construction of a parkway station at Manchester airport and an East Midlands hub between Nottingham and Derby.
It will also pledge to create 100,000 jobs including 10,000 during construction.
The Department for Transport claim HS2 will be the fastest railway in Europe and virtually halve journey time between Birmingham and Manchester. London to Manchester journeys could take one hour and eight minutes.
A final route for phase two is expected to be decided by the end of 2014, while construction of the London to West Midlands route could start around 2017 once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015.
The plans for phase two are supported by the cities involved and by the Labour party, which wants parliamentary approval speeded up so construction can start in London and the north simultaneously.
Critics dispute the economic case and suggest the railway will be a blight on large areas of picturesque countryside.
Penny Gaines, chairwomen of Stop HS2, said: ‘We are firmly of the opinion that the whole HS2 project is fundamentally flawed. It should be cancelled as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on developing the transport infrastructure that will bring more benefits to more people than a fast train for fat cats.’
