The UK government is set to announce plans for a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester, according to the BBC, reviving a connection that was scrapped from the original HS2 programme.
According to the BBC, the proposal will be confirmed as part of a wider package of rail upgrades under Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR), which ministers are expected to unveil this week. However, little detail is expected on the Birmingham–Manchester route itself beyond the government’s intention to build it only after NPR is completed — meaning the project could still be decades away.
The Birmingham–Manchester section had originally formed part of HS2’s eastern and northern extensions, before being cancelled by former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government amid mounting cost pressures. HS2 is now tens of billions of pounds over budget and running around a decade behind schedule.
Reports cited by the BBC suggest the truncated HS2 line between London and Birmingham alone could cost £81bn, and that, once inflation is factored in, total spending could reach £100bn for just 135 miles of new railway.
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