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Transport minister Lord Adonis has pledged to unveil plans for a new high-speed rail link between Birmingham and London before the next election. It should reduce the journey time from teh Midlands (Birmingham) to London to about 45 minutes.

The minister claims that the only high speed rail project "does actually not connect any of the major cities in the country". For the endeavour, a new company called High Speed 2 lead by Sir David Rowlands is leading the effort, aiming to come up with proposals before the 2010 elections.

The minister believes it is a case of "if not when" a high-speed line is built and that the project would be a success only with cross-party support. He added: "I am more than ever convinced that a north-south high-speed rail line in Britain is just a matter of dates. This will not happen without a political consensus, this should not be an issue of political points-scoring. It is an immensely consequential and extremely costly project which needs to be got right."

Source: Birmingham Post and Railnews

Scotland must be fully connected to any UK high speed rail network, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson said today.

The Minister was speaking ahead of his meeting with UK Rail Minister Lord Adonis.

He said:

"There is no doubt that a high speed rail link connecting Scotland, London and Europe would bring significant economic and environmental benefits.

"Improved journey times could provide significant benefits to Scotland's economy, improving connections and opening up new opportunities. Shorter journeys could also drive a real travel shift from air to rail and significantly reduce our emissions.

"Lord Adonis recently asked High Speed 2 (HS2) to examine the potential for expanding high speed services to Scotland and I will ensure Scotland's voice is heard in this work. It is important HS2 works up a fully developed case for a high speed rail project that links Scotland to the major capitals of Europe.

"While we support High Speed links to Edinburgh and Glasgow it is vital these connect effectively to our existing network so that all parts of the country can enjoy the benefits."

Source: The Scottish Government