£30bn high-speed rail link would slash journey times

Journey times from London to regional cities would be slashed under plans for a £30 billion high-speed rail network unveiled today.

It would run from a rebuilt Euston station to an interchange at Old Oak Common in west London, linking to Crossrail, the Heathrow Express and the Great Western line.

But it will not include a direct line to Heathrow. The 335-mile route from London would run through the Chilterns which is expected to spark protests.

Holborn and St Pancras Labour MP Frank Dobson also warned it could have a big impact on his constituency with blocks of flats having to be pulled down to make way for the new station.

Trains with as many as 1,100 seats, could run at up to 250mph on the Y-shaped route.

Journeys from London to Birmingham would be cut from 84 to 49 minutes, to Manchester from two hours eight minutes to 80 minutes and to Leeds from two hours 20 minutes to 80 minutes.

The first section could open in 2025 and the route could create up to 10,000 jobs.

The Tories dismissed the plan as flawed for not including the North, Scotland and Wales and being based on "misguided" government support for a third Heathrow runway.