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| New high-speed rail plan unveiled | New high-speed rail plan unveiled |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| Network Rail has proposed a new £34bn ($55bn) high-speed railway line linking Scotland and London by 2030. | Network Rail has proposed a new £34bn ($55bn) high-speed railway line linking Scotland and London by 2030. |
| The line will serve Birmingham and Manchester, getting passengers from Glasgow to London in just two hours and 16 minutes, the rail firm said. | The line will serve Birmingham and Manchester, getting passengers from Glasgow to London in just two hours and 16 minutes, the rail firm said. |
| It rejected several alternative routes, including the east of England. | It rejected several alternative routes, including the east of England. |
| The proposed new High Speed 2 line will still need to be approved by the government, which is conducting its own rail network review. | The proposed new High Speed 2 line will still need to be approved by the government, which is conducting its own rail network review. |
| The new line would become the country's second high-speed rail link after the line that runs from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, run by the Eurostar service and connecting to high-speed lines in continental Europe. | The new line would become the country's second high-speed rail link after the line that runs from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, run by the Eurostar service and connecting to high-speed lines in continental Europe. |
| New line | New line |
| Network Rail's proposed new line linking Glasgow and Edinburgh with London, on which trains could travel as fast as 200mph, will also serve Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. | Network Rail's proposed new line linking Glasgow and Edinburgh with London, on which trains could travel as fast as 200mph, will also serve Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. |
| It would cut travelling between London and Birmingham to 45 minutes, from a best time of one hour and 22 minutes currently. | It would cut travelling between London and Birmingham to 45 minutes, from a best time of one hour and 22 minutes currently. |
| JOURNEY TIMES FROM LONDON Birmingham: 45mins, down from 1h 22minsLiverpool: 1hr 23mins, down from 2hrs 8minsManchester: 1hr 6mins, down from 2hrs 7minsEdinburgh: 2hrs 9mins, down from 4hrs 23minsGlasgow: 2hrs 16mins, down from 4hrs 10 mins Source: Network Rail | |
| Rail passengers would also be able to get to Liverpool in one hour and 23 minutes, from two hours and eight minutes now. | Rail passengers would also be able to get to Liverpool in one hour and 23 minutes, from two hours and eight minutes now. |
| Network Rail, the company that runs Britain's rail infrastructure, said the new line would require more than 1,500 miles of rail, sleepers and ballast, as well as 138 bridges over roads and current railway lines. | Network Rail, the company that runs Britain's rail infrastructure, said the new line would require more than 1,500 miles of rail, sleepers and ballast, as well as 138 bridges over roads and current railway lines. |
| Network Rail says the new line is required to ease the pressure on Britain's railways. It says passenger numbers have rocketed by 40% over the past decade, and that by 2024, many existing lines will be at full capacity. | Network Rail says the new line is required to ease the pressure on Britain's railways. It says passenger numbers have rocketed by 40% over the past decade, and that by 2024, many existing lines will be at full capacity. |
| Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC that high-speed links were vital for the future. | Transport Secretary Lord Adonis told the BBC that high-speed links were vital for the future. |
| "This report makes a powerful case for high-speed rail in Britain," he said. | "This report makes a powerful case for high-speed rail in Britain," he said. |
| Lord Adonis said the company set up by the government to prepare a high-speed rail plan will take "full account" of the proposals and deliver a report by the end of the year, with a decision by next year. | |
| Currently, the route proposal will be between London and the West Midlands, with options to extend the line to Scotland and the north of England. | Currently, the route proposal will be between London and the West Midlands, with options to extend the line to Scotland and the north of England. |
| Alternative options | Alternative options |
| The Conservatives' shadow transport secretary, Theresa Villiers, told the BBC she welcomed the announcement. | |
| "We're committed to taking high-speed rail to the north of England, and we think Labour should match that," she said. | |
| Lord Adonis said a decision on high-speed rail will happen by the end of next year. | |
| The Conservatives currently propose to build a rail link between Leeds and London. | |
| Network Rail said it had rejected routes that would have taken the new line via Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne, as well as a route that included Leicester and Sheffield and another option through Bristol and Cardiff. | Network Rail said it had rejected routes that would have taken the new line via Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne, as well as a route that included Leicester and Sheffield and another option through Bristol and Cardiff. |
| It based its decision on a 12-month study involving 20,000 hours of work and more than 1,500 pages of analysis. | It based its decision on a 12-month study involving 20,000 hours of work and more than 1,500 pages of analysis. |
| The firm said that the line would account for 43.7 million journeys per year by 2030, which would result in 3.8 million fewer vehicle journeys and fewer carbon dioxide emissions. | The firm said that the line would account for 43.7 million journeys per year by 2030, which would result in 3.8 million fewer vehicle journeys and fewer carbon dioxide emissions. |
| "If, as research suggests, up to three times as many passengers will be travelling on our railways by 2020, then it is important that we move quickly in planning today for the rail network of tomorrow," said Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. | "If, as research suggests, up to three times as many passengers will be travelling on our railways by 2020, then it is important that we move quickly in planning today for the rail network of tomorrow," said Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson. |