Pulling plans to build two new platforms at Piccadilly station is a 'decade lost for the North of England', Andy Burnham has said as he pushed back against the move at a meeting of mayors, council leaders and rail chiefs today (June 7).
Building platforms 15 and 16 has been seen as key to unclogging congestion on railways across the region – but the proposal was withdrawn last month.
Questioning the move, Lord Patrick McLoughlin, who signed off the initial plans in 2014 when he was transport secretary, said an 'inordinate amount of time and effort' was spent on the scheme.
It comes as Transport for the North (TfN) - the body set up by the government which Lord McLoughlin is now the chairman of - looks at a 'new approach' to regional rail infrastructure upgrades.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk