Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what year they expect the new high speed railway line between Leeds and Manchester to open; what they expect the total cost of that line to be; and what the maximum speed of services operating on that line will be.
The Leeds-Manchester line is being developed as part of Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR). Transport for the North has developed and submitted a business case for NPR to the Government. As announced by the Prime Minister, we are accelerating work with Transport for the North to reach a deal in the Autumn, which will, amongst other things, consider potential specification of the route, timescales for delivery, and costs.