MORE should be done to improve Greater Manchester's road network following the announcement of the second phase of the HS2 rail line, according to a Bury MP.

David Nuttall, MP for Bury North, urged the government to invest more money to help road users in a debate on transport infrastructure for the North of England in the House of Commons.

Last week, the preferred high speed train routes into Manchester were confirmed as the latest step in the controversial £56 billion project, which is is hoped will be operational in 2033.

Mr Nuttall said during the debate: "By the time HS2 eventually opens from Manchester Piccadilly, it will take some of my constituents, who live within Greater Manchester, longer to drive to Manchester, especially at peak times, than to travel by train from Manchester to London. What plans do the Government have to improve that?"

Andrew Jones, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Transport, replied: "It is not as though HS2 is the only investment taking place in the North: more than £1.25 billion is being spent in the North West on local transport schemes through the growth deal; £800 million-plus is being spent on North West road schemes; and a further £1 billion is being spent on other parts of the rail network.

"It is HS2 plus all the other investments that makes the comprehensive transformation of transport in the North."

Phase one of the HS2 railway is due to open in December 2026 and will see trains travel at high speed between London and Birmingham before running on from Birmingham on the existing West Coast Main Line.

Phase 2a from the West Midlands to Crewe will launch in 2027 and phase 2b, from Crewe to Manchester and from the West Midlands to Leeds, South Yorkshire and the East Midlands, will open in 2033.

Mr Nuttall added in his blog: "I have never been a fan of this project. I just think the amount being spent on a single railway line could have been spent in more innovative ways.

"My preferred plan would have been to connect fibre to every home. But, as I said during the discussion on ITV's politics programme this week there is no point trying to continue to fight a battle that has been lost.

"At the same time as announcing the HS2 phase two route the government also announced the first contracts for phase one and it looks as though the first construction works may well start next year.

"It will not be until the mid 2030s before the whole route is up and running so any problems it aims to solve are going to be around for years to come."