The Chancellor and Tatton MP George Osbourne spoke to Allan Beswick about plans for the new high speed rail link HS2

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The route for the next phase of the £33 billion high speed rail line has been announced, cutting journey times between Manchester and Birmingham to 41 minutes and between Manchester and London to 1 hour 8 minutes. Chancellor and Tatton MP George Osbourne told BBC Radio Manchester the route has been chosen sensitively and that it's a positive move for Greater Manchester and Cheshire.