£30bn high speed rail link to use Woodhead

A plan for a new £30 billion high–speed rail line linking Liverpool and Manchester to Heathrow via the Woodhead Tunnel has been unveiled by councils opposed to the airport’s proposed expansion.

Running along the line of the M1, the route would make it easier for people in northern England to get to Heathrow, reducing the need for internal connecting flights.

The group says its plan differs from other high–speed line proposals in that it aims to connect more UK cities and ensures Heathrow is fully joined to the new network.

Drawn up by chartered civil engineer Colin Elliff the plan envisages a single England–Scotland spine route and several spurs that would reach out to major cities including Liverpool and Manchester.

It could follow the disused Woodhead line to Manchester, requiring the former rail tunnel to be re–opened for high–speed track.

Edwards Lister, leader of Wandsworth Council which is part of the 2M Group, said: “We are delighted to publish these proposals because we want a debate. We have a Government that can’t see further than the next runway.”

Richmond Council leader Serge Lourie added: “The country’s roads are grinding to a halt and all ministers want to do is put more planes in the sky and more cars on the ground.

“Even expanding just the existing Heathrow runways would bring another million road journeys.

“The real demand is for sustainable transport options that actually help people and businesses move around the country.”