The Government is facing an immediate backlash from Conservative MPs after it disclosed its plans for the northern section of the controversial HS2 high-speed rail link.
It emerged that plans to connect the £32 billion train line directly to Heathrow have been put on hold until the Davis Commission on airport capacity has reported.
The route will also pass through the Tatton constituency of George Osborne, the Chancellor, who today insisted the project will be an “engine for growth” in the north of the country.
Mr Osborne has been warned by local politicians that there will be “public outrage” over fears the train line will destroy countryside in the area.
Cheryl Gillan, the former Welsh Secretary, warned that thousands of people will have their lives “blighted” by the project.
Mrs Gillan, whose Buckinghamshire constituency lies on HS2’s proposed route, has said that commuters face years of soaring rail fares if the project goes ahead.
“Thousands of people will have woken up this morning to find their lives and businesses are blighted, not just in the short term, but for a very long period of time,” Mrs Gillan told the Daily Telegraph.
“My constituents have been going through this since 2009. There isn’t even a proper compensation scheme in place yet.”
The HS2 line will cut journey times between London and Manchester to one hour and eight minutes.
Under the plans a journey from London to Leeds will take an hour and 22 minutes - 50 minutes quicker than the current journey time.
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