The Government announced plans to build a new railway line between Birmingham and Manchester. The Treasury said it wants a new Birmingham-Manchester rail line but stressed it would not be “a reinstatement of HS2”. The Treasury said the new line would not be open until after the completion of NPR. Land between Manchester and Birmingham previously acquired for HS2 will be held while the project is developed.
There are already two alignments from Birmingham to Manchester, so build a third? Would the government be so reckless with public money? Many think it is a ploy by the government to appease Burnham when he wanted to be in parliament seeking the Prime Minister's job. Burnham was forbidden to stand for parliament.
Well this future pie in sky line can only be built after NPR is completed, which has not even been designed yet. So this is decades ahead. But a Birmingham to Manchester line can be built with half of it high-speed track much sooner giving excellent times to Manchester. They can kill two birds with one stone and get the Birmingham to Manchester line operational much quicker. A Stafford bypass can be built using 11 miles of purchased HS2 phase 2a land from Fradley to Hixon and onto existing track to just outside of Stone. And the north curve on the HS2 delta junction east of Birmingham operational, which has been put on hold. This gives a continuous high speed/fast track from Birmingham to Stone. Trains can then run to Manchester via Stoke from Stone on upgraded track completing the line.
A Stafford bypass can be completed by building a new track length from just south of Stone to the WCML just north of Norton Bridge.
It could be built at the same time as NPR. Sorted, and a Manchester and Birmingham line built much, much, sooner.
There are already two alignments from Birmingham to Manchester, so build a third? Would the government be so reckless with public money? Many think it is a ploy by the government to appease Burnham when he wanted to be in parliament seeking the Prime Minister's job. Burnham was forbidden to stand for parliament.
Well this future pie in sky line can only be built after NPR is completed, which has not even been designed yet. So this is decades ahead. But a Birmingham to Manchester line can be built with half of it high-speed track much sooner giving excellent times to Manchester. They can kill two birds with one stone and get the Birmingham to Manchester line operational much quicker. A Stafford bypass can be built using 11 miles of purchased HS2 phase 2a land from Fradley to Hixon and onto existing track to just outside of Stone. And the north curve on the HS2 delta junction east of Birmingham operational, which has been put on hold. This gives a continuous high speed/fast track from Birmingham to Stone. Trains can then run to Manchester via Stoke from Stone on upgraded track completing the line.
A Stafford bypass can be completed by building a new track length from just south of Stone to the WCML just north of Norton Bridge.
It could be built at the same time as NPR. Sorted, and a Manchester and Birmingham line built much, much, sooner.