A former Conservative minister said he was hopeful a high speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester could be delivered if Andy Burnham became prime minister.
Burnham has said he wants to reinstate the northern leg of HS2 with it funded in a similar way to Crossrail in London which had contributions from business.
Huw Merriman, chair of the Liverpool to Manchester Rail Board and a former rail minister, told BBC Politics North West it was “really exciting” as an enabler for growth.
Under initial plans, HS2 would have run from London to Birmingham, and then on two separate lines to Leeds and Manchester, but those plans got cancelled.
In March, the government ordered the company building the project to consider lower speeds on the line.
Andy Burnham told The i Paper earlier this month, external he felt the “lack of high-quality rail infrastructure” in the north of England “holds back its growth potential”.
He also said there could be a “cleverer way” of funding any alternative to HS2, highlighting the funding for Crossrail – now open as the Elizabeth Line in central London.
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