A “landmark moment” in improving the North West’s rail connections will happen on Monday when the Bill to extend HS2 to Manchester is laid in Parliament, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.
Phase 2b of the high-speed railway will cut travel times by around 55 minutes for journeys between London and Manchester, and up to 45 minutes for trips between Birmingham and Manchester, according to the Department for Transport (DfT).
It will also at least double capacity on those routes, the DfT said.
