HS2: high-speed rail details announced

Details of the next phase of the £32bn HS2 high-speed rail network have been announced by the government.

The preferred route of phase two running northwards from Birmingham will have five stops: Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton near Nottingham; Sheffield; and Leeds.

Chancellor George Osborne said it would be “the engine for growth in the north and the midlands of this country”.

Phase one's London-Birmingham link has faced considerable opposition.

The Department for Transport said that HS2 phase two would virtually halve journey times between Birmingham and Manchester - to 41 minutes - and between London and Manchester from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes.

Speeds of up to 250mph on HS2 will also reduce a Birmingham to Leeds journey from two hours to 57 minutes, while phase one will cut London-Birmingham travel to 49 minutes, from the current one hour and 24 minutes.

Construction of the London-West Midlands route is expected to begin around 2017, once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015.

Construction on the Y-shaped extension could start in the middle of the next decade, with the line open by 2032-33.

Since this project was initially unveiled rumours have been rife that it was to be abandoned, that George Osborne had gone cold on the idea, but having had the weekend to mull over the last weeks GDP numbers his mind has clearly been turned.

It’s clear that the government need to spend more time investing and less time saving, because as the evidence has shown their plan hasn’t worked, and a big investment in infrastructure is the logical choice.

But like so many other government initiatives the start date has been pushed back until after the next general election, why?

If this project is an “engine for growth” then why not start now when we most need growth and not in four years time.