High-speed rail
August 5, 2009
UK Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said the high-speed rail travel plan is well advanced, and that the government will publish by the end of 2009 a route from London to Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city.
The route, which is estimated to cost seven billion pounds (8.2 billion euros), could be funded with a public-private partnership and eventually extended to Scotland.
Adonis also told The Guardian that some high-speed trains could run on existing networks, significantly cutting journey times between British cities.
"For reasons of carbon reduction and wider environmental benefits, it is manifestly in the public interest that we systematically replace short-haul aviation with high-speed rail," Adonis told the newspaper.
He added that he would like to see some short-haul flights between Britain and Europe "progressively replaced" by an ultra-fast rail network.
Last month, the British government unveiled plans to spent 1.1 billion pounds to electrify more of its rail network, reducing travel time between London and Swansea, and Liverpool and Manchester.
jam/Reuters/AFP
Editor: Darren Mara