GREATER Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd says the possible delay in the HS2 high-speed rail project is ‘unacceptable’ to residents.

This comes after the National Audit Office released a report stating that the timetable to complete the scheme is ‘unrealistic’ and that the project is facing major cost pressures.

£56 billion plans to connect London to the West Midlands and areas in Greater Manchester may now be postponed until 2027, with stations not in place in the borough until 2033.

The interim mayor said: “Any delay in the HS2 project would be unacceptable for people living in Greater Manchester and the whole of the north of England.

"People in the north are already due to wait several years longer than people in the south before we can access this vital transport link.

“We should be looking at how we can reduce that time gap. Delays should be out of the question.”

He added that he will write to the transport minister to seek a guarantee that people in the north west will not have to wait longer for the rail link.

There is currently no finalised route for the train line, which was originally promised for the autumn of 2014.

However MPs are due to vote on the first phase of the project later this year.