22.03.16
Work on new four-hour London to Scotland HS2 to begin next year
Travelling to Scotland from London in less than four hours will be possible after the UK and Scottish governments agreed to begin work on the new railway line next year.
The announcement came as the governments welcomed the results of a joint report which says that HS2 should come to Scotland, including a connection between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The report says that a high-speed rail package would have a lower benefit to cost ratio than a conventional rail option, but is the best placed to meet planning objectives such as passenger capacity, journey time and reliability.
Keith Brown, Scottish infrastructure secretary, said: “This report is a major milestone in the campaign to deliver high-speed rail to Scotland and marks the beginning of the next chapter in the tale.
“I now have a firm commitment that development work will begin during the current control period towards getting journey times between Scotland and London down to three hours or less.
“High speed rail will bring billions of pounds worth of benefit to Scotland’s economy and an infrastructure project of this magnitude – possibly the biggest Scotland’s ever seen - means jobs, investment, benefits for the economy and benefits for the environment.
“This plan will bring to life our target of 3 hours or less Glasgow and Edinburgh to London train journeys, which will lead to a significant move from air to rail, bringing big reductions in carbon emissions.”
It is estimated that HS2 trains will be able to travel from London to Glasgow in 3 hours 56 minutes after phase one opens in 2026, journeys to both Edinburgh and Glasgow will be reduced to 3 hours 38 minutes after the full Y-network opens in 2033, and HS2 will bring £3bn benefits to Scotland.
The news comes as a third reading of the HS2 bill is due in Parliament on Wednesday.