New Birmingham-Manchester rail link to be proposed

The government is preparing to announce its intention to build a new rail link between Birmingham and Manchester, the BBC has learned.

Previous plans for the HS2 high-speed rail line included a line between the two cities, but this part of the project was canceled by Rishi Sunak’s government.

On Wednesday the government is expected to approve proposals for new and improved rail links across northern England under a plan known as Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR).

Few details are expected about a new Birmingham-Manchester route, other than the intention to build it after the NPR is completed, meaning it may not happen for decades.

Plans to bring high-speed rail to the north of England were first put forward by former Conservative Chancellor George Osborne in 2014.

A new rail line between Liverpool and Manchester is seen as a central part of the Northern Powerhouse rail project, which aims to shorten travel times between northern cities and towns as well as boost the UK economy outside London.

But expected announcements from the current government were shelved several times last year due to cost concerns.

Insiders said an extended review process of the project was under way in a bid to avoid mistakes made on HS2, which has been plagued by problems and costly delays.

HS2 is now tens of billions of pounds over budget and nearly a decade behind schedule.

Reports state that the shortened line between Birmingham and London could cost £81bn.

Taking inflation into account, this means at least £100 billion will be spent but only 135 miles of railway will be built.

HS2 Ltd, the company set up by the Department for Transport, admitted it had failed to keep overall costs under control and said delivery did not match what it described as unrealistic early expectations.