A brand-new rail line is set to be approved for northern England – linking two major cities

For Northerners still mourning the controversial scrapping of HS2’s northern branch back in 2023, here’s some news that may give you cause for cautious optimism. Manchester Evening News has reported that the government is on the verge of giving the green light to a new rail route between Manchester and Liverpool.

If it gets the go-ahead, the new line would run between Liverpool and a new underground station at Manchester Piccadilly, via Warrington Bank Quay and Manchester Airport. Right now the average train journey between Liverpool and Manchester takes roughly 53 minutes. According to plans, the proposed new route could cut that down by 20 minutes.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and other local leaders visited Westminster last May to urge ministers to back the ‘Northern Arc’ project, arguing that it would boost rail capacity, alleviate congestion on other northern lines and bring a £15bn boost to the economy. 

Campaigners also pointed out that the previous government had committed £17bn to the line after the HS2 northern lines were cancelled. Burnham said he hoped that construction on the project could start by the early 2030s. 

He said: ‘The Northern Arc will cost considerably less than some of that infrastructure that's being built [elsewhere in the UK] so this is something that the government should do to balance up the economy of the country, but it's something that the people in the North quite rightly deserve because there's huge latent potential here.’

When the formal plan was presented to the government in May, the Department for Transport said: ‘Transport is an essential part of our mission to rebuild Britain and drive economic growth. That's why we're investing in the North and midlands, and delivering transformational projects, such as the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade.

‘We are currently reviewing the position we have inherited on HS2, and will set out next steps in due course.’

Did you see that a brand new Harry Potter attraction will let you ride the Hogwarts Express? 

Plus: A third rail company has unveiled plans for direct trains between the UK and Europe. 

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