Plan for cheaper rail line as alternative to axed HS2 route unveiled - linking Manchester and Birmingham
manchestereveningnews.co.ukA proposal to build a new 50-mile railway line as a slower and cheaper alternative to a scrapped section of HS2 has been unveiled.
A report commissioned by Andy Burnham as the mayor of West Midlands Richard Parker found that creating a new rail link between the Midlands and the North West was critical to enhance capacity for passengers and freight moving between the regions.
The coalition of private sector organisations led by former HS2 Ltd chairman Sir David Higgins described an alternative new line between Lichfield, Staffordshire and High Legh, Cheshire, connecting with the proposed east-west Northern Powerhouse Rail, as a 'golden opportunity'.
This would create a new link between Manchester and Birmingham. READ MORE How paid-for Trafford Centre Premium Parking will work - everything we know so far In October last year, then-prime minister Rishi Sunak cancelled a plan to extend HS2 between the West Midlands and Manchester amid spiralling costs.
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