Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has told Modern Railways he is ready to petition Parliament if parts of HS2 or Northern Powerhouse Rail are cut back or cancelled.
The call came as leaders across the North of England expressed concern over both the future of the HS2 eastern leg from the West Midlands to Leeds and of NPR, and this represented the main focus of presentations and debate at the Transport for the North conference on 21 September. The phasing of HS2 Phase 2b (including both the eastern leg and the Crewe to Manchester western leg), NPR and other upgrades will be confirmed in the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan, which has yet to be published.
‘The leaks have been out there, and it doesn't look promising at this particular moment in time’ Mr Burnham told Modern Railways. ‘We've got to plan for all eventualities and that's why we're now turning our attention quite seriously to petitioning Parliament to get what we believe would be the right solution for Greater Manchester.’
Mr Burnham railed against scaling back of NPR, saying: ‘We still believe firmly that a new line [from Manchester to Leeds] via Bradford is critical. From what people pick up, that is dropping down the prioritisation at the moment.’
