LIVERPOOL will be “collateral damage” in the government’s determination to make Manchester an economic powerhouse, one expert has warned.

John Tomaney, the professor of regional development at Newcastle University, has investigated the impact of high-speed rail on areas of France and Spain.

Last year, he caused a stir when he told MPs that 250mph trains were likely to widen the North-South divide, because investment and jobs would be sucked from “peripheral regions” to a “dominant capital”.

Now Professor Tomaney has warned that Liverpool could be left trailing in Manchester’s wake, if the government presses ahead with the plans revealed by the Post today.

As evidence, he pointed to studies suggesting that French towns such as Tourcoing and Roubaiz have suffered since nearby Lille enjoyed a one-hour connection to Paris.

Similarly, Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV) trains had sucked investment into Lyon from the town of Saint-Étienne, which was 32 miles away – slightly longer than the distance between Liverpool and Manchester.

Professor Tomaney said: “The purpose of HS2 is to create faster journey times from London to Manchester and Leeds.

“It’s quite possible that there will be collateral damage for nearby cities – that’s almost accepted in the framework of these plans.

“The evidence from elsewhere suggests that a lot of the gains for the cities connected to high-speed lines are at the expense of cities close to them – not at the expense of the capital city.

“That was the case in France, where there was evidence of firms moving from nearby towns to Lille and to Lyon, the destinations on the line.”