The Department acknowledged the capacity challenge on the West Coast Main Line as a consequence of not building Phase 2, estimating that it will reach capacity by the late 2030s. These capacity concerns were also raised with us in evidence from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and the High Speed Rail Group.75 The Department 69 Qq 56–57; Prime Minister’s Office, The King’s Speech 2024, pages 42–43 70 C&AG’s Report, para 2.16 71 Qq 54–57; C&AG’s Report, Fig 2 72 Ibid 73...

The Department acknowledged the capacity challenge on the West Coast Main Line as a consequence of not building Phase 2, estimating that it will reach capacity by the late 2030s. These capacity concerns were also raised with us in evidence from Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester and the High Speed Rail Group.75 The Department 69 Qq 56–57; Prime Minister’s Office, The King’s Speech 2024, pages 42–43 70 C&AG’s Report, para 2.16 71 Qq 54–57; C&AG’s Report, Fig 2 72 Ibid 73 C&AG’s Report, para 4.20 74 C&AG’s Report, para 4.21 75 HS2U0007, Written evidence submitted by Manchester City Council; HS2U0009, Written evidence subm Type: conclusion | Number: 44 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2025 Preparatory work on a disposal programme for Phase 2 is already underway. As part of these preparations, the department is undertaking a review of the portfolio of