The bill for High Speed 2 (HS2) phase 2b’s western leg is scheduled to be deposited in Parliament in “early 2022 or sooner if possible”, according to HS2 Ltd chief executive Mark Thurston. In a response to the 15th Residents’ Commissioner’s report, published earlier this week, Thurston revealed the timings for the western leg bill. “As you are aware, we are also busy preparing for the deposit of the hybrid bill for the western leg of phase 2b between Crewe and Manchester, with a connection to the West Coast Main Line to serve stations en route to Scotland," he said.