By Sue Crawford

Last updated at 13:23, Wednesday, 30 January 2013

High speed trains will slash journey times to Carlisle improving connections from the city to major destinations across the UK, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has pledged.

His comments came as David Cameron faced a backlash from Conservative MPs opposed to the HS2 high-speed rail link after the Government published draft plans to extend the line to the north of England.

The Prime Minister said extending the already-planned London to Birmingham HS2 line as far as Manchester and Leeds would “spread wealth and prosperity” around the country.

The second phase of HS2 envisages five stops on a 211-mile Y-shaped extension northwards from Birmingham – scheduled to be completed in 2032, six years after the first phase.

There will also be a “dedicated link” alongside the high-speed line at Crewe to link up with standard trains – reducing journey times to Carlisle and onwards to Glasgow.

Mr McLoughlin said: “Many of the trains running on HS2 would be compatible with the existing railway and therefore able to run off the 225mph high-speed lines to serve a range of other towns and cities including Carlisle.”

The publication of the northern phase two route of HS2, part of the Government’s mid-term review, follows the confirmation a year ago of HS2’s 140-mile southern phase one route between London and Birmingham. This starts construction in four years and opens to passengers in 13 years. The new routes, running from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, will open six years after that.

Mr McLoughlin also confirmed that the consultation on the proposed routes published yesterday will be brought forward to start in 2013 rather than in 2014.

He said: “High Speed Rail is an unparalleled opportunity to secure a step-change in Britain’s competitiveness and this Government will do everything possible to ensure that Carlisle benefits by getting the connections they need and deserve to thrive.

“HS2 will be woven into the transport fabric of the nation, accessible to all, including those in Carlisle and I believe these proposed routes north of Birmingham offer a great starting point for the consultation process to follow.”

Officials say the £32.7 billion project will create at least 100,000 jobs and would cut the journey time from Manchester to Birmingham to 41 minutes, and from Manchester to London to one hour eight minutes – almost half the present times.

Leeds will be 57 minutes away from Birmingham compared to one hour 58 minutes today, and one hour 22 minutes away from London Euston, down from two hours 12 minutes, according to Department for Transport projections.

Mr McLoughlin said the HS2 extension would ensure high-speed trains reach eight out of 10 of Britain’s largest cities.

First published at 12:04, Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk