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New high-speed rail link proposed New high-speed rail link proposed
(10 minutes later)
Network Rail has proposed a new £34bn ($55bn) high-speed railway line linking Scotland and London.Network Rail has proposed a new £34bn ($55bn) high-speed railway line linking Scotland and London.
The line will go via Birmingham and Manchester, getting passengers from Glasgow to London in just two hours and 16 minutes, the rail firm said.The line will go via Birmingham and Manchester, getting passengers from Glasgow to London in just two hours and 16 minutes, the rail firm said.
The proposed 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.
Network Rail rejected routes going via the Midlands or the east of England.Network Rail rejected routes going via the Midlands or the east of England.
However, any final decision on the proposed line will be made by the government. The proposed new High Speed 2 line will still need to be approved by the government, which is conducting its own rail network review.
That could depend heavily on how much it costs, said the BBC's transport correspondent, Richard Scott. The proposed 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.
New lineNew line
Network Rail's proposed new line linking Glasgow and 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.
FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from the Today programmeFROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME More from the Today programme
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.
Rail passengers would also be able to get to Manchester in one hour and 23 minutes, from two hours and eight minutes now.Rail passengers would also be able to get to Manchester in one hour and 23 minutes, from two hours and eight minutes now.
Network Rail 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.
"Virtually every other major developed country in the world has now built high-speed lines. And all those that started building them between their major cities have extended them now to cover large parts of their country," he said."Virtually every other major developed country in the world has now built high-speed lines. And all those that started building them between their major cities have extended them now to cover large parts of their country," he said.
"There's a general acceptance that if we're going to meet additional transport demand over the next 40 or 50 years, then that can't be by building more motorways or having a lot more short-haul aviation.""There's a general acceptance that if we're going to meet additional transport demand over the next 40 or 50 years, then that can't be by building more motorways or having a lot more short-haul aviation."
Alternative options
The Conservatives' shadow transport secretary, Theresa Villiers, welcomed the announcement.
"Today's announcement provides further evidence that we need to take high speed rail to the north," she said.
"Unlike Labour, our high speed rail ambitions go north of Birmingham and we call on the Government to match our commitment."
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.
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.