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Minister reassures Northern leaders on high-speed rail

The Transport Secretary has met with leaders from the Core Cities Group as they persuade the Government to deliver High Speed Rail in the Y-shaped network as quickly as possible.

Patrick McLoughlin told leaders that he shared their desire to see HS2 delivered as quickly as possible.

He said: “HS2 is great news as it will significantly cut journey times to London, help create jobs, drive growth and transform connectivity between the North, Midlands and London.

“We have been working closely with Manchester and Liverpool so that HS2 generates even more opportunities for people and businesses across the North West.

“When I announce my preferred route for the next stage of the project, we will be able to show how we have further improved our plans to deliver even greater benefits to the area.”

High speed trains will serve Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool from 2026, and Newcastle is expected to follow in 2033.

The Government claim journey times between Newcastle and London will be cut by 34 minutes.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .