'If this had been started in Manchester and worked it's way down to London, would there even be speculation as to if it was to continue?'
Business leaders have laid bare the staggering impact axing the northern leg of the HS2 rail line to Manchester would have on the city-region's economy.
READ MORE: This was supposed to be the big answer to the North's train problems. So why is it not happening? But in a dire prediction should HS2 to Manchester be axed or delayed, business leaders wrote: "The combination of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail would deliver an estimated 96,000 jobs and 16,800 homes.
The eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds was reduced to a spur line that is due to end in the East Midlands and it was confirmed in March that construction between Birmingham and Crewe would be delayed by two years and that services may not enter central London until the 2040s, starting an ending at Old Oak Common.
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