UK to launch 250 MPH high speed train service

“The time has come for Britain to plan seriously for high-speed rail between our major cities,” said Transportation Secretary Lord Adonis. “The high-speed line from London to the Channel tunnel has been a clear success, and many European and Asian countries now have extensive and successful high-speed networks. I believe high-speed rail has a big part to play in Britain’s future.”

The first phase of the rail corridor will cost up to $25 billion for a 128-mile track between London and the west Midlands, and the total cost of the complete 330-mile network will reach $45 billion.

In order to carry out the project, over four hundred homes will need to be relocated or demolished to make way for the high speed railway link between London and Buckinghamshire.

Some opposing groups say the railway corridor would destroy the prized countryside of the Chiltern hills in Buckinghamshire.

According to the plans, around a third of the route through the Chilterns will be tunneled in a bid to relieve its environmental impact.

Constructions on the route could begin in 2017.