A ‘preferred’ route and the locations of new stations in the West Midlands, North West, East Midlands and Yorkshire were unveiled this morning.
The 211-mile, northern part of the £32 billion scheme comprises a double-pronged extension linking Birmingham with Manchester and Leeds.
The route northwards from Birmingham will have five stops at Manchester; Manchester Airport; Toton in the East Midlands; Sheffield; and Leeds. A proposed spur to Heathrow Airport has been put on hold pending a review of UK aviation policy.
Chancellor George Osborne said the HS2 scheme would be "the engine for growth in the North and the Midlands of this country".
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "It's not just about journey times, it is also about capacity.
"We are finding the railways are overcrowded. We've seen massive growth in rail passenger numbers, so this is taking HS2 so it serves the north."