High Speed Rail (Crewe
– Manchester) Bill
The purpose of the Bill is to:
● Provide the powers to build and operate the next stage of the
High Speed Two (HS2) network between Crewe and Manchester.
The main benefits of the Bill would be:
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● Supporting the UK’s recovery from COVID-19 and
rebuilding the economy through the delivery of large scale,
high-quality infrastructure that will stimulate short-term
economic activity, generate long-term growth, and tackle
regional disparity by delivering a new transport spine in the
North West.
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● Helping the UK to meet its targets on carbon,
biodiversity, and wider environmental sustainability, through
the provision of a low-carbon alternative for travel for many
decades to come and the commitment to aim for ten per cent
net gain in biodiversity.
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● Enabling enhancements to the existing Rail Network
across the North, freeing up much needed capacity on key
routes, such as Stockport to Manchester, and relieving the
bottleneck at Crewe. It also provides critical infrastructure
to allow the delivery of Northern Powerhouse Rail and new
Manchester Metrolink routes.
The main elements of the Bill are:
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● Providing the powers to compulsorily acquire the land
needed for the railway, construct the railway, and operate
it.
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● Seeking outline planning permission to deliver the
scheme.
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● Setting out how existing railway regulation will
apply to HS2.
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● Modifying, or disapplying, existing legislation that
would apply to the construction of the scheme, reflecting
that the scheme will have been approved by Parliament.
Territorial extent and application
● The Bill will extend across the UK, but apply to England and
Scotland only.
Key facts
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● This Bill is part of delivering the Integrated Rail
Plan which, at £96 billion, is the single biggest investment
in Britain's rail network ever.
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● The route runs north-east from Crewe towards
Manchester, and includes two new stations, one at Manchester
Airport (which is subject to third party funding) and the
other adjacent to Manchester Piccadilly station.
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● Completion of the scheme and start of services is
expected between 2035-41.
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● HS2 is already supporting over 22,000 skilled jobs
and has created more
than 825 apprenticeships. To date, over 2,400 companies have
now delivered work on HS2 Ltd. At its peak, HS2 is forecast
to support over 34,000 jobs in construction and rail
engineering activities, and 3,100 permanent jobs in operation
and maintenance.
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● The proposed scheme for this phase will further
shorten journey times, making Manchester just over an hour
away from London. It will also almost triple train capacity
between Manchester to Birmingham (from 450 seats currently to
up to 1,100 seats per hour once the route opens).
