The government has confirmed that Manchester Airport will be the site of one of the stations on the High Speed rail link linking the North of England to London.

Details of the route of the line from Crewe to Manchester and Birmingham to Leeds have been announced today after the government confirmed that it will go ahead with building the entire £56bn HS2 high-speed train line.

The line will run from Crewe to Manchester Airport and then on to a new station next to Piccadilly in the city centre. 

The development of Manchester Piccadilly could also support around 4,500 new homes and over 700,000spm of commercial and retail space. Adjacent to the site, the Mayfield regeneration project will bring a major mixed-used development that will seek to create 6,500 new jobs and 1,330 new homes – and is expected to start on site next year.

An integrated HS2 station at Manchester Airport would improve the airport’s accessibility and capitalise on the opportunity of the investment programme at Terminal 2. It would also increase the airport’s importance as an international gateway and deepen the economic impacts of the Airport City Enterprise Zone, which is set to attract global businesses and is currently estimated to provide 35,000 jobs.

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Today’s announcement is welcome confirmation that Greater Manchester will play a key role in HS2, and become a hub for rail improvements that will help support a sound economic future for the whole of the north through Northern Powerhouse Rail.

“This should be seen as a reinforcement in the confidence of the region’s economic potential and these infrastructure improvements are the tools we need reach unlock that latent energy.We’ll continue to work closely with government to help support the project and begin to drive the major transformational projects that will support HS2 in Greater Manchester.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd said; “The confirmation of HS2’s route to Greater Manchester is a major milestone and will be welcomed by people across our region. It is now vital that HS2 becomes a reality as soon as possible. 

“This announcement shows the Government has heard the voices from the North that demanded this project go ahead without delay.

“Our plans for growth linked to HS2 can now start to become a reality, delivering real benefits for the people of Greater Manchester. I hope today’s announcement will be followed shortly by progress on Northern Powerhouse Rail which will connect the cities of the North. If the Government is serious about rebalancing our economy this infrastructure investment in the North is critical.”

Making the announcement this morning,  Transport Secretary Chris Greyling will say the routes will provide a major boost to the future prosperity of the country, as well as being is a clear signal the UK is open for business.

The Department of Transport will also announce that with the building of HS2, the frequency of commuter and intercity trains to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds could “almost double” to 48 per hour.

The HS2 bill is expected to receive royal assent within months. The first phase from London to Birmingham is due to go into service in 2026, with the lines to Manchester and Leeds finished by 2033.

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