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| HS2 phase two route details to be announced | HS2 phase two route details to be announced |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Details of the next phase of the HS2 high-speed rail network are due to be announced by Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin later. | |
| The preferred route of phase two - linking Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds - will be published, ahead of a formal consultation later in the year. | |
| A final route for phase two is expected to be chosen by the end of 2014. | A final route for phase two is expected to be chosen by the end of 2014. |
| Phase one of the £32bn line will link London and Birmingham. | |
| On HS2, travelling at speeds up to 250mph, passengers will be able to commute from Birmingham to London in 49 minutes, reducing the journey time from the current one hour and 24 minutes. | |
| A Birmingham to Leeds journey will be reduced from two hours to 57 minutes and a Manchester to London journey from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes. | A Birmingham to Leeds journey will be reduced from two hours to 57 minutes and a Manchester to London journey from two hours and eight minutes to one hour and eight minutes. |
| Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "We have to move with the times as a country. We can't keep relying on Victorian infrastructure for 21st Century Britain. | |
| "We can't keep turning a blind eye to the north-south divide in our economy. That is what this high-speed project is all about. | |
| "Of course there'll be people who don't like one or other aspect of it but if we really want to build for the future, so that our children and grandchildren have a future fit for the 21st Century, we've got to get moving." | |
| Countryside and tunnels | Countryside and tunnels |
| Construction on the Y-shaped extension could start in the middle of the next decade, with the line open by 2032-33. | Construction on the Y-shaped extension could start in the middle of the next decade, with the line open by 2032-33. |
| Construction of the London-West Midlands route is expected to begin around 2017, once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015. | Construction of the London-West Midlands route is expected to begin around 2017, once Parliament has approved the necessary powers, probably in 2015. |
| There has been speculation about the exact route and stations for the extension. | There has been speculation about the exact route and stations for the extension. |
| Experts have suggested that the northern extension of the line will see trains stop at Toton, between Derby and Nottingham, as it heads up to the eastern side of the Pennines before arriving through a tunnel in Leeds city centre via the Meadowhall shopping centre outside Sheffield. | Experts have suggested that the northern extension of the line will see trains stop at Toton, between Derby and Nottingham, as it heads up to the eastern side of the Pennines before arriving through a tunnel in Leeds city centre via the Meadowhall shopping centre outside Sheffield. |
| On the western side of the Y-shape, the trains are expected to go straight up to Manchester Piccadilly and airport stations, although a stop in Cheshire has been suggested as a possibility. | On the western side of the Y-shape, the trains are expected to go straight up to Manchester Piccadilly and airport stations, although a stop in Cheshire has been suggested as a possibility. |
| The line is also expected to pass through the Tatton constituency of Chancellor George Osborne in Cheshire. | The line is also expected to pass through the Tatton constituency of Chancellor George Osborne in Cheshire. |
| More than 70 groups oppose HS2. StopHS2 has argued that England's north and Midlands will lose out to London, rather than benefit, and that projections do not take into account competition from conventional rail. | More than 70 groups oppose HS2. StopHS2 has argued that England's north and Midlands will lose out to London, rather than benefit, and that projections do not take into account competition from conventional rail. |
| Penny Gaines, chairwoman of Stop HS2, said: "We are firmly of the opinion that the whole HS2 project is fundamentally flawed. | Penny Gaines, chairwoman of Stop HS2, said: "We are firmly of the opinion that the whole HS2 project is fundamentally flawed. |
| "It should be cancelled as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on developing the transport infrastructure that will bring more benefits to more people than a fast train for fat cats." | "It should be cancelled as soon as possible so that we can concentrate on developing the transport infrastructure that will bring more benefits to more people than a fast train for fat cats." |
| Other opponents object on the grounds that HS2 will cut through picturesque countryside, and 18 councils along the route have said taxpayers cannot afford the line, and that it will increase greenhouse gas emissions. | Other opponents object on the grounds that HS2 will cut through picturesque countryside, and 18 councils along the route have said taxpayers cannot afford the line, and that it will increase greenhouse gas emissions. |
| Mr McLoughlin said on Saturday that he expected problems to arise. "I'm afraid we will upset some people, but I appreciate that and we've got to try and do as much as we can to alleviate the damage wherever we can." | Mr McLoughlin said on Saturday that he expected problems to arise. "I'm afraid we will upset some people, but I appreciate that and we've got to try and do as much as we can to alleviate the damage wherever we can." |
| 'Timetable slipping' | 'Timetable slipping' |
| Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle told Sky News that Labour put forward such a high-speed route from London via Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds when it was in office - but the new proposals left some issues unresolved. | Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle told Sky News that Labour put forward such a high-speed route from London via Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds when it was in office - but the new proposals left some issues unresolved. |
| "I do have some concerns. One is that we appear to be missing our major cities, and connectivity is actually important. And secondly, the government appear to be retreating from connecting it to our major hub airport, Heathrow." | "I do have some concerns. One is that we appear to be missing our major cities, and connectivity is actually important. And secondly, the government appear to be retreating from connecting it to our major hub airport, Heathrow." |
| She earlier said that Labour "strongly" supported upgrading the rail network, to provide greater capacity and reduced journey times. | She earlier said that Labour "strongly" supported upgrading the rail network, to provide greater capacity and reduced journey times. |
| "However, there are worrying signs that the Department for Transport's timetable to deliver this vital infrastructure is slipping and we believe ministers should be working more vigorously to ensure the proposals are delivered on time." | "However, there are worrying signs that the Department for Transport's timetable to deliver this vital infrastructure is slipping and we believe ministers should be working more vigorously to ensure the proposals are delivered on time." |
| Details of the consultation on HS2 Ltd's proposed exceptional hardship scheme for phase two will also be published later. | |
| The consultation on HS2 Ltd's property and compensation for phase one is due to close on 31 January. | |
| It includes a hardship scheme for residents who need to move during the development of HS2, but are unable to sell their home, and measures designed to "provide confidence in properties above tunnels". |