HS2: North West and Yorkshire routes announced
The Government has announced the second phase of the HS2 rail service will connect Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to Leeds.
The plans do not include a new station in Sheffield, after proposals to run trains through the Meadowhall shopping centre were scrapped.
It has been suggested that HS2 serve the existing Sheffield city centre station, but this would mean demolishing a new housing estate - around 200 homes - in Mexborough in South Yorkshire.
In an announcement on Tuesday, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling will say the routes will provide a major boost to the future prosperity of the country, as well as being is a clear signal the UK is open for business.
The Department for Transport acknowledged many intercity services are currently "full to overflowing", but said customers will benefit from more services and extra seats once the HS2 high-speed rail service is completed.
Officials also said the frequency of commuter and intercity trains to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds could "almost double" to 48 per hour.
When will HS2 open?
Phase one of the £55.6bn railway will open in 2026, and will see trains travelling between London and Birmingham, before continuing from Birmingham on the existing West Coast Main Line.
A second Y-shaped phase will open in two stages. Phase 2a from the West Midlands to Crewe will open in 2027.
Phase 2b, from Crewe to Manchester and from the West Midlands to Leeds and the East Midlands, will open in 2033.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: "Our railways owe much to the Victorian engineers who pioneered them, but we cannot rest on their legacy when we face overcrowding and capacity problems.
"HS2 is an ambitious and exciting project and the Government is seizing the opportunity it offers to build a transport network fit for the 21st century, one that works for all and makes clear to the world that Britain remains open for business."
"The full HS2 route will be a game-changer for the country that will slash journey times and perhaps most importantly give rail passengers on the existing network thousands of extra seats every day. They represent the greatest upgrade to our railway in living memory."
Former Chancellor George Osborne "strongly" welcomed the "renewed commitment" to phase two of HS2.
"Now let's commit to HS3, the high-speed rail link across the Pennines, so we have a coherent plan to speed journeys across the North," he said.
"We need certainty about the route and effective compensation to help communities directly affected by HS2, including those in my Cheshire constituency.
"Hinkley, Heathrow and HS2/HS3 are the three projects we spent years laying the groundwork for. Time for talking over; now time for delivery."