Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Greenhalgh on 11 May (HL Deb col 98) on the £5 billion delivery of an underground station in Manchester, how many platforms the plan includes; what are the length of the tunnels connecting to the station platforms in both directions; whether any non-HS2 trains could use the underground station; what are the lengths of the platforms; and what is the overall cost estimate for the underground station and its tunnels.

The High-Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill deposited in parliament on 24 January set out the Government’s commitment for a surface station. The Bill does not contain plans for an underground station and the Government continues to consider that an enlarged (6-platform) surface station can meet requirements at substantially lower cost and construction impact than underground alternatives. These views are reflected in the Bill that has been deposited in parliament.