The eastern leg of HS2 to Leeds has been scrapped and a full high-speed east-west line linking Manchester to Leeds will not be built, the government has confirmed, as it insisted faster train journeys would be delivered earlier and cheaper under a £96bn rail plan.
The high-speed rail network will go ahead to Manchester but will be curtailed at an existing east Midlands station rather than run from Birmingham to Leeds, while the TransPennine route will be improved mainly through upgrades rather than a full brand new line.
The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, told the Commons that the changes and investment would bring better rail connections for passengers years earlier in a network that would work for every community.
He said that the
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