Chancellor George Osbourne has announced the high speed rail (HS2) route from Birmingham to Crewe is to open six years early in 2027.

The government has set out a total of £55.7 billion for the whole HS2 programme in its 2015 Spending Review.

Once Phase 2a has opened in 2027, reduced journey times delivered by HS2 phases 1 and 2a will be:

• Crewe to London will be cut by 35 minutes

• Manchester to London will be cut by 40 minutes

• Glasgow to London will save 48 minutes

Originally, HS2 was scheduled to open in the North in 2033.

It is understood the extra works packages to build the 50-mile HS2 second phase stretch is estimated to be worth a further £1.8bn-£3.3bn to contractors and will be broken up into four lots.

-- Advertisement --

In addition, the Chancellor confirmed the appointment of John Cridland to chair of Transport for North (TfN), a new body created to help transform transport connectivity across the Northern Powerhouse.

Chancellor George Osborne said: "In my Spending Review we committed to the biggest rise in transport spending in a generation meaning that major projects like the construction of HS2, to link the Northern Powerhouse to the South, can begin.

"Bringing forward this part of the HS2 route by six years is a massive step in the right direction for the Northern Powerhouse where high speed rail will play a big role in connecting up the entire region with the rest of the country."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin added: "The government continues to boost economic growth by investing in transport with a clear focus on the Northern Powerhouse and I welcome the appointment of John Cridland as chairman of Transport for the North and look forward to working closely with him to deliver a world class transport network for the region."

(LM/MH)