UK Government may go ahead with high speed rail link

A planned high-speed rail connection between Scotland and London could be agreed by as early as March, says Transport Secretary Lord Adonis.

The agreement would follow approval of a study undertaken by the UK government into a 200mph rail link that would cut travel times to the north of Britain by half, to just over two hours.

However the rail network is estimated to take years to construct at a cost of about £34 billion.

The plans are to be made up after Lord Adonis received a report yesterday from High Speed 2, a company which the government has set up early last year to draw up plans for a high-speed north-south link.

He told reporters that the report was the most detailed look-into high speed rail to ever have taken place in the UK.

He pointed out that the UK lagged behind many other European countries, and that there was not a connection between any other cities, however the report could change that.

The HS2 report will provides details for a link for the first stage to be constructed between London and the West Midlands, with the option to extend the link further north to Scotland.

A public consultation on the route would come into effect later in 2010, but with a general election likely in May, the possible change in government could delay the plans, particularly as radical expenditure cuts are required to boost the nation’s recovery to economic stability.

However the Conservatives are in favour of the high-speed link on environmental grounds.

The UK only has 68 miles of high-speed rail connecting London to the Channel Tunnel to France.

Adonis highlighted the fact that the rest of Europe has 3,600 miles of high speed rail in operation, with another 2,000 under construction, while China would have 6,000 miles running by 2012.