The mayor of Greater Manchester has warned the government’s plan for Northern rail infrastructure is second class - and not what was promised.
Calling today’s announcement a ‘Championship’ rather than a ‘Premier League’ option, Andy Burnham said the government must now spend an extra £4bn building a full new high speed rail route from Manchester to Leeds, via Bradford, instead of a stretch of new line merged into the existing Transpennine route near Huddersfield.
He also said the new lines would not even come forward before the 2040s, despite claims from ministers that their proposal would be faster than previously mooted.
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