By Lynda Myer
In order to advancing the plans to open the Crewe-Manchester extension between 2035-2041, a second set of proposed changes to the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill is undergoing.
The proposed changes, which is Additional Provision 2 (AP2) and keeps powers to develop and operate the new network to Manchester, was submitted to Parliament in January 2022, whereas the first set of proposed changes (Additional Provision 1 (AP1)) was introduced six months later.
Deadline for the latest proposed changes is consultation until August 31.
According to Stephen Smith, head of consultation and engagement for HS2’s Phase 2b program: “The design changes reflected the ongoing commitment to minimize disruption during construction and operation.”
“Feedback from communities plays a vital role in the design process and we encourage people to have their say before the consultation closes,” he said.
Including relocating the Palatine Road vent shaft required for the Manchester tunnel to outside the Didsbury Flood Storage Basin, the changes in some cases require additional land and powers, while also in order to raising capacity and decreasing the impact of construction workforce movements on existing road users, relocating Junction 6 of the M56 motorway to the south-west; as well as modifications to road junctions in several areas are the other required changes.
Supporting documentation and information about the consultation can be found here.
Additionally, for mitigating inflationary pressure and rising project costs, the line between Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester would be delayed by two years in March as the government announced.
It says it is committed to HS2 trains eventually terminating at Euston Station in central London, but for now it is prioritizing the service between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham.
Meanwhile, the Birmingham to Leeds section of HS2 was scrapped by government in 2021.
