Greater Manchester will formally oppose the latest high-speed railway plans in Parliament which have been described as 'severely suboptimal' and 'deficient'. The current HS2 proposal would see a 52-mile extension of the high-speed rail network from Crewe to Manchester with stations at Piccadilly and the airport.
However, the bill put before Parliament in January proposes 'huge concrete viaducts' running across East Manchester rather than underground tunnels. Metrolink services between Piccadilly and Ashton would be suspended while this work takes place, stopping trams running through Tameside for two years.
The Western Leg of HS2 would also connect with the West Coast Mainline via a new line through Golborne that would stop just before Wigan North Western. Transport bosses also have concerns about the HS2 station at the airport.
