HS2 phase two announcement welcomed by engineers
Details of the next phase of the £32billion HS2 high speed rail network have been unveiled by the government.
The new rail link will have five stops, including Manchester, Manchester Airport, Toton in the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds. Officials say it will cut journey times, ease overcrowding and boost regional business, creating at least 100,000 jobs.
While critics dispute the economic case for the new link, arguing that it ignores passengers' ability to work on trains and will result in swathes of picturesque countryside being blighted, Chancellor George Osborne said it would be the "engine for growth in the north and the midlands of this country."
Also welcoming the announcement was Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, who described it as good news for jobs, the economy and commuters.
He warned, however, that the UK must seize the opportunity presented by HS2 to invest in and develop future engineering talent.
"This investment will help ease overcrowding on UK trains and help promote jobs and investment in Manchester, the East Midlands and Yorkshire," Dr Brown noted. "But the government has to make sure that the development of HS2 is also an investment into UK jobs and skills."
