I think it’s a real opportunity here as the chancellor has spoken here to create a northern power house by looking how we could use high speed rail and other infrastructure to link up our great  northern cities so that we really have a propel balance, rebalance of our economy. That’s what this is about.

 

Of course there are still thousands of people who are // against this plan. HS2 and the northern extension of it will cut right across where I am standing in this village in northeastern Leeds. And it is in this city where the chairman of the project will give his recommendations for the plan. But that’s not before the Prime Minister and the chancellor of giving their backing to the next stage, HS3.

 

The first stage of HS2 starts in London’s Uston and is due to open in 2026. It heads northwest, connecting Birmingham before heading up to Lichfield. Phase 2 of the network timetabled for 2032 recommends a route through Crewe and onto Manchester and through Nottingham and onto Sheffield and Leeds. New plans have been announced for HS3. A new tunnel under the P, connecting Manchester to Leeds. The idea that traveling times will be slashed. For example, Manchester to Leeds now is around 55 minutes. In the future it could be as little as 26 minutes. 

 

We are gonna enable the north to compete. We are gonna have to be very bold on our investment for transport of the north. We just spend, we just say we just spend 15 billion pounds on cross rail in London. And I believe the north has to have its P and investment too.

 

The campaign against HS2 has long questioned the figures and promises and the impact on towns and villages.

 

Cutting across behind here, 14 meters in the air, a concrete...

 

Jo Mason whose house lies on the route of the north extension in Leeds says the value of her house has dropped by more than 300,000 pounds. 

 

We have won every argument. We have won the economic argument, the environmental argument, the capacity argument, every single argument. It will not help the north. All these things are //. This is a politically driven, vanity project. Its flames have been fund by the people who have stunned to do very well out of it. The government knows it must keep up the pace of the controversial project or risk of stalling all together. With election looming, winning over the north with the promise of better times could win crucial votes.