1600km of rail lines proposed to tackle growth

More than 1,600km of high-speed rail lines and new rail tunnels under the Irish Sea and English Channel are needed to cope with the rapid growth of rail travel.

The Association of Train Operating Companies has published a vision for the network in 2057, showing three new 320km/h lines fanning out from London, halving journey times to major Scottish cities.

Tracks would also be laid on top of tidal barrages being considered for the Severn, Solway and Morecambe estuaries, according to the plan revealed in The Times.

The Association believes the rail network will carry 2.4bn passengers by 2028. Last year rail passengers clocked up 49bn km – the greatest distance travelled by train in peacetime.

A report for the Association proposes the first high-speed line should run from London via Heathrow to Birmingham and Manchester.

The government has committed to a modest expansion of the rail network up to 2014, and ministers recently conceded that a new high-speed line should be considered, the newspaper reported.