Agreement reached on aim of three hour London to Scotland rail link
Reading time: 1 minute
Holyrood and Westminster have reached an agreement with the long-term aim of three-hour train journeys from London to Scottish cities.
The move coincides with the publication of the HS2 Ltd report on extending a faster rail service to the north of England and Scotland.
The two governments announced that work on evaluating options for the project would begin next year and that “implementation” of the plans could begin in 2019.
Robert Goodwill, the UK minister responsible for the second high-speed line (HS2), said: “Scotland will benefit from HS2 from the day it opens, with shorter journey times to London from the start.
“Once the full Y-Network opens, it will only take about three hours 38 minutes to reach London from Glasgow and Edinburgh. This report looks at ways we can build on these improvements and I thank HS2 Ltd for this work.
“Together with the Scottish government, we will be asking Network Rail to identify any options with a strong business case, for consideration for inclusion in future plans.”
The first phase of the high-speed line to the English midlands is due to open in 2026.
The “Y” network, extending the service to northern English cities, is scheduled for completion in 2033.
Share this article:
Subscribe to our newsletter to not miss articles like this one:
SUBSCRIBE
