Team Lopez – The Government is bringing forward the single biggest investment in the history of our rail network £96 billion for the North and Midlands – which will improve everyday journeys for rail passengers, bring communities closer together, and create jobs – all ten to fifteen years sooner than previously planned.
Through the Integrated Rail Plan, the Government will build three new high-speed rail lines.
The HS2 Western Leg from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester, with new stations at Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly, will see journey times from Manchester to London cut to just 1 hour 11 minutes and journey times from Birmingham to Manchester cut to just 51 minutes.
A new high-speed line from the West Midlands to East Midlands Parkway will see direct high speed rail services to Nottingham, Derby, Chesterfield, and Sheffield. Journey times from London to Nottingham will be cut to 57 minutes, from Sheffield to London to 1 hour 27 minus, and Nottingham to Birmingham to 26 minutes.
A new high-speed line between Warrington, Manchester and Yorkshire, forming the heart of Northern Powerhouse Rail, will be combined with upgrades on existing lines to deliver NPR services from Liverpool to Leeds via Manchester. Journey times from Liverpool to Manchester Piccadilly will be cut to 35 minutes, from Leeds to Manchester Piccadilly to 3 minutes, and from Liverpool to Manchester Airport o just 26 minutes.
The Government will also rapidly upgrade the East Coast Main Line, fully electrify the Midland Main Line, and fully electrify and upgrade the Transpennine Main Line. In total, more than 75% of the country’s main rail lines will be electrified, improving the journeys hundreds of thousands of people take every day by making them faster, quieter, more reliable and more environmentally friendly.
The full Integrated Rail Plan can be viewed here - Integrated Rail Plan: biggest ever public investment in Britain’s rail network will deliver faster, more frequent and more reliable journeys across North and Midlands - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
