Northern Rail Project risks repeating costly HS2 failures, MPs warn

One unresolved question concerns whether a new station is built underground at Manchester Piccadilly which, say some estimates, could cost £5bn more than a surface station. Photograph: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images

Building Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) risks repeating the failures of HS2 with “no convincing plan” to deliver it within a £45bn budget, an influential committee of MPs has warned.

The government announced in January its commitment and funding for the NPR project to connect cities across the north, consisting of new or upgraded lines between Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, York and Sheffield.