Plans for a new rail service between London and Manchester, after the northern leg of HS2 was scrapped, have been announced.
London Northwestern Railway is hoping to extend its existing service – which runs from the capital to Crewe – to Manchester Victoria via the West Midlands.
Proposals set to be submitted by the operator see the use of the same track space on the West Coast Main Line that Virgin Trains and Lumo have announced open access bids for.
A decision on which services can be launched will be made by the Department for Transport and regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).