The UK Government has revealed its revised proposal for the ВЈ33bn ($51bn) high-speed rail (HSR) network, which will link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds, and will include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high-speed rail network.
A new line between London and Birmingham will be the proposed route for the first phase of the project, while a link to Heathrow will be part of the second phase.
The Department for Transport (DfT) revealed that the proposed HSR route has been altered to incorporate changes to about 65 miles of the 127-mile line.
The completed 'Y'-shaped network would bring the West Midlands-London journey to about half an hour and would allow journey times of around 80min from Leeds and Manchester to the capital.
Public consultation on the final route proposal will begin in February 2011 and, depending on the outcome of consultation and parliamentary timescales and approval, works for the first phase should begin in 2015 with the high-speed network opening in phases from 2026.
Related links
High Speed 1
