Network Rail starts study into five new high-speed routes

Both the Times and the Guardian report on Network Rail’s (NR) study into the creation of five high-speed lines that will halve the journey time between London and Glasgow.

The new lines being considered are the east coast line from London to Edinburgh; the west coast mainline from London to Glasgow; the great western track from London to Cardiff; the midland mainline route from London to Bradford; and the Chiltern line between Birmingham and London.

NR will spend a year examining Britain most congested rail routes looking at ways of increasing capacity. This is the third publicly-funded study into the feasibility of high-speed lines in a decade.

However NR told the newspapers that it “was not wedded to high speed” and was unable to set any timetable for future expansion.

It also warned that a lack of skilled engineers might have an impact on when construction could start on any new lines.