North West to Midlands rail plan 'not HS2' say regional mayors

Regional mayors have said a plan with private partners to improve rail links between Birmingham and Manchester is not an attempt to revive HS2.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham told MPs more about proposals now HS2's northern legs have been scrapped.

Mr Burnham and West Midlands mayor Andy Street have assembled a group of private sector partners for the plan.

The Department for Transport said it would keep talking to the mayors about northern transport improvements.

Mr Burnham told the Transport Committee of MPs that options for a "Northern Powerhouse" rail scheme included a "modest update" to the existing West Coast Mainline, and "something more substantial" that could be have a role for private finance involved.

The group chaired by Sir David Higgins, former Network Rail chief executive, is looking at the possibility of linking Handsacre in Staffordshire where HS2 ends.

Mr Burnham said a meeting earlier with the Transport Secretary Mark Harper had been productive and constructive, but it was early days.

He added that he was pleased the government was listening.

In a joint statement released after the meeting, Mr Burnham (Labour) and Mr Street (Conservative) said: "Ultimately there are capacity challenges on the West Coast Main Line between Birmingham and Manchester, and so we have decided to seek the help of the best private sector brains to look at how we might creatively resolve that without a significant bill on the public purse."

Their statement said their group would reconvene in Birmingham next week to flesh out their plans.

They emphasized the work was "not an attempt to revive" HS2.

Mr Burnham told the Committee this morning that "if we do nothing about improving connectivity between the country's second and third cities… we will have a major transport headache. You could argue we've got it now".

He insisted that in the next couple of decades there was no way the West Coast Mainline and M6 motorway could "service" the growth in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.

The Department for Transport said the Transport Secretary "assured the mayors that he would remain in contact with them to discuss how transport connectivity could be improved across the region".

He also reiterated HS2 Phase 2 had been cancelled and the government planned to reinvest that money in other projects.

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