New high speed rail network could see rise in direct trains to London, Transport Secretary announces

Intercity services transferring to a new high speed line will see significant extra space available on the existing network

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced that a new high speed rail network would allow many towns and cities to benefit from a huge rise in direct trains to London once it is built.

With intercity services transferring to a new high speed line, significant extra space would become available on the existing network, meaning towns such as Milton Keynes, Northampton and Rugby could become better connected to the capital.

The proposed network would be delivered in two phases. Firstly, a line from London to the West Midlands and linked to the HS1 line to the Channel Tunnel, and the second the onward legs to Manchester and Leeds.

The second phase would also include a direct link to Heathrow, bringing Sheffield and Leeds within an hour and a quarter of the country’s major hub airport.

The Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd have already established that an extra 11 services could be run on the West Coast Main Line every hour once the first phase of HS2 is built from London to the West Midlands.

Completion of the second phase to Manchester and Leeds could deliver similar improvements for commuter locations on the East Coast Main Line such as Luton, Bedford and Stevenage.

The Department for Transport estimates the cost of the complete 'Y' shaped high speed network at £32bn and expects it to generate economic benefits of around £44bn and fare revenues of around £27bn over a 60-year period.

Hammond said: "Building a whole new line would create scope for people who live on the current lines to have more frequent services that are less crowded – I would also hope that this additional competition could mean cheaper fares as well."

"The reality is that many of our current trains are full and too many people have to stand – we desperately need the extra trains and capacity that a new high speed rail network would bring."

Further information:
Department for Transport