High-speed £17bn rail route between London and Birmingham unveiled (with a few diversions)

By Ray Massey
Last updated at 7:52 AM on 21st December 2010

Controversial new plans for a £17billion high-speed rail line were unveiled yesterday.

It promises to slash journey times from London to Birmingham and form the first stage of a network that will eventually stretch to Manchester and Scotland.

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond sought to stem a revolt by middle class home-owners in Tory heartlands by ‘re-aligning’ up to 50 per cent of the 109-mile London to Birmingham route to ‘mitigate’ its effect on the landscape and homes.

Impact: The 250mph line is likely to affect communities and house prices along its route, something acknowledged by Mr Hammond in his statement

That includes creating ‘environmentally-friendly’ tunnels to hide the impact of the train and track in areas of outstanding natural beauty, like the Chilterns.

He also sought to soften the blow with the promise of a more generous compensation package than usual for householders whose homes may be blighted by the line.

Critics accused the Transport Department of ‘spin’ and of trying to ‘bury bad news in a snow drift’ by announcing the news on a day when trains, planes and cars ground to a halt in atrocious weather.

The first stage of the High Speed 2 rail line will be from London to Birmingham before it is extended to Leeds, Manchester and Heathrow

The line is a centrepiece of the transport policy of the Coalition, which has ruled out new airport runways in the South-East.

Proposals: Mr Hammond insisted the scheme would help tackle the north-south divide by slashing travelling times to the capital

Mr Hammond tried to placate middle class voters in the shires which border the route, including Buckinghamshire and Warwickshire. Many Tory supporters, MPs and even Cabinet ministers have voiced concern and outright opposition.

Up to 50,000 will suffer noise from the new line and up to 130,000 vibration, according to analysis of impact assessment figures.

Among the amendments to the route announced yesterday were making a tunnel deeper underground in Primrose Hill, North London and moving the line further away from an historic house in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

Mr Hammond said the amendments to the 250mph line, on which work could start in 2016, would ‘significantly mitigate the impacts of the railway at local level’.

He said London to central Birmingham journey times would come down to 49 minutes or less and London to Leeds journeys could be made in 65 minutes.

The full project will cost £33billion.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England says the line could ruin the ‘beauty and tranquility’ of the countryside.

Bruce Weston, a director of the HS2 Action Alliance, which represents more than 60 opposition groups said: ‘The business case for HS2 just doesn’t stack up. It’s going to be a waste of money.’