Liverpool has offered to pay £2bn towards the cost of an extension to the High Speed 2 rail line in order for the city to be included in the project.
The current plan is for the high-speed line to link to Leeds and Manchester in the north, potentially leaving Liverpool at a disadvantage. A report by think tank ResPublica describes a link to Liverpool as essential for the success of the Northern Powerhouse.
Under the plan, a high-speed rail line would link Liverpool to HS2 north of Crewe and would connect to Manchester and its airport.
