EVERY inch of the proposed HS2 route in Yorkshire and further south needs to be scrutinised, according to a York MP.

York Central MP Rachael Maskell, who is now the shadow rail minister, has spoken out after the Government confirmed its preferred route for the multi-billion pound new high speed rail route.

Ms Maskell spoke on BBC Radio York about the latest step in the development, saying that this new generation of infrastructure is crucial to the Northern economy, but needs to be carefully scrutinised.

“Every inch of the rail line will go under scrutiny,” she said, before urging communities to keep speaking up about the route and their concerns. The full HS2 bill is not due to be presented to Parliament until 2019.

The Government announcement on Monday confirmed the route of the Manchester and Leeds arms of the HS2 route.

The route will branch at Birmingham, with the Yorkshire branch then heading to Sheffield where ministers have decided the line should serve the existing Sheffield city centre station after proposals to run trains to Meadowhall shopping centre were shelved.

That decision means 16 new homes on the Shimmer estate in Mexborough will have to be demolished to make way for the line.

The line will also see a branch of new high speed rail running to Church Fenton, near Tadcaster, where it will join the existing mainline.

The Leeds and Manchester legs will be built from the middle of next year and should be completed by 2033, the Government confirmed.

Ms Maskell, who was appointed to the shadow transport team earlier this month, has also spoken out about the need for investment on the existing East Coast mainline.

She questioned the rail minister John Hayes on how much Virgin Trains East Coast would be contributing towards much needed improvements on overhead powerlines.

Speaking after the debate last week, she said: “Under public ownership East Coast put £1 billion into the Treasury. Now the franchise has been returned to private ownership, profits have dropped and the tax payer is being asked to bail it out. This is wrong. If taxpayers have to pay surely they should also share the benefits.

“We need a publicly owned franchise that will operate in the public interest and not that of wealthy shareholders.”