As part of its January 2026 announcements, the government committed to building a new line between Birmingham and Manchester to improve north-south connections and meet expected capacity requirements. To enable these improvements, the government confirmed Northern 45 Q 18 46 Qq 26 and 33 47 Transport for the North (NPR0003) 48 Qq 27-28 49 Q 28; C&AG’s Report, para 13 50 Qq 27-28 51 Qq 27-28 52 Liverpool–Manchester Railway Board and Partnership Board [NPR0005] 14 Powerhouse Rail would proceed with the former HS2 alignment into Manchester as part of its phase 2 improvements between Liverpool and Manchester.53 The Department expects phase 2 to be completed in the mid- 2040s.54 However, in February 2025 the Department told us it expected the West Coast Main Line to reach capacity by the late 2030s.55 In oral evidence, the Department said the Office of Rail and Road already viewed the West Coast Mainline as full and it was unable to add any further train paths.56