Plans for a new high-speed rail network running 250mph trains, have now been released by Transport Secretary Lord Adonis showing the recommended route for the new line between London and Birmingham with a future extension to northern England and Scotland. (see our story High-speed rail plans to be submitted to government 29 December 2009)

There will be public consultation on the proposed route, construction of which will probabally not start until a least 2017.

Network Rail last week (Thursday 11 March) reiterated its support for high-speed rail as the government published its command paper.

Chief executive, Iain Coucher said: "There is now a broad political consensus that Britain must have a high-speed rail future. High-speed is a vital part of a modern, dynamic economy. By slashing journey times, high-speed rail can drive economic growth and boost jobs. It would also take cars and lorries off the road, cut domestic flights and release capacity on the existing rail network; transforming services even for those communities not served directly by a high-speed line. It is the low-carbon, sustainable transport of the future."

"We will now analyse the white paper in detail to see how its proposals would expand the network. The railway is a system and we will work with government to understand how high-speed lines can be developed to make the best use of capacity of the entire network."
Network Rail said high-speed rail "can drive economic growth and boost jobs".

Lord Adonis told the House of Lords that the views of communities along the route would be particularly sought saying "Subject to this consultation, the London terminus for the high-speed line would be Euston, the Birmingham city centre station would be at Curzon Street, and there would be interchange stations with Crossrail west of Paddington and near Birmingham airport."

The preferred route will run out through north-west London, skirting to the south-west of Aylesbury, then to the west of Buckingham and the east of Brackley and Banbury, before passing between Leamington Spa and Coventry and running into the eastern side of Birmingham.

A future extension is being considered to northern England, which would run in a Y shape with one branch to Sheffield and Leeds and the other to Liverpool and Manchester.

Lord Adonis said the project would create 10,000 jobs and yield £2 in benefits for every £1 spent.

He said the first 120 miles between London and the West Midlands would cost between £15.8bn and £17.4bn. but the cost per mile for the line past Birmingham is estimated to halve.
This would mean the total cost of the 335 mile Y-shaped network woild be about £30bn.

The main opposition parties are also committed, in principle, to the need for a high-speed rail network.

Shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the Conservatives were not prepared to "blindly accept" the route proposed by ministers adding that if the Conservatives are elected to power, they would start work on the project in 2015 - two years earlier than the government's plan.

Scotland's Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said developing high speed rail to Scotland "is central to the economic case for high-speed rail in the UK".

Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher described high-speed rail as "a vital part of a modern, dynamic economy".

He also said that it would "take cars and lorries off the road, cut domestic flights and release capacity on the existing rail network, transforming services even for those communities not served directly by a high-speed line.

"It is the low-carbon, sustainable transport of the future."

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies (Atoc), said: "The commitment that all three parties have shown to HSR [high-speed rail] is a vote of confidence in the industry, and will help place train travel at the heart of a successful low-carbon economy.

For the past year, the government-backed company High Speed Two has been working on plans to develop a new high-speed rail network, initially between London and Birmingham which could cut the journey time to just 46 minutes.