A POSSIBLE new high-speed rail line between London and Scotland, would run up the west coast via Manchester and Warrington, under plans outlined by Network Rail.

If the £34bn scheme comes to fruition, it could cut Manchester to London journey times down to just an hour and six minutes.

The rail infrastructure company's plans envisage new city centre terminal stations in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London.

A precise route has not been outlined, but Network Rail says it could cope with up to 16 trains an hour to and from London, providing 9,100 seats an hour into the capital.

Today's announcement does not necessarily mean that a high speed line will be built however.

High Speed Two (HS2) a company set up by the government specifically to look at all the options, is set to publish its own report by the end of this year.

Network Rail says it is making all its work available to HS2 'to help it move quickly forward with its own very specific brief.'

Regions and cities including Manchester, that may be a part of the new high speed line have been actively campaigning for it to pass through their areas.

Fast service

Roger Jones, director of the North West Rail Campaign said: "High speed rail is gaining ground right across the world, because people can see that if you link all the major cities up with this kind of fast service, it does help."

Network Rail says its envisaged scheme would generate almost £55 billion of value, paying for itself almost twice over, but it says it could be ten years before it could become reality - even given eventual government backing.

It says it believes it would take up to five years to sort out the exact alignment of the route and all the planning stages, and that construction work could take another five years - or more.

Its plans would involve eight new stations, with 400 metre-long tunnels, and 32 bridges over motorways. New city centre terminals would be located close to existing city centre stations.

The proposed new line would become the country's second high speed rail link, after the line which runs from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel, used mainly by Eurostar.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis says high speed rail links are vital for the future.

"Virtually ever other major developed country in the world has now built high speed lines" he said.

"And all of those that started building them between their major cities, have extended them now to cover large parts of their country."

Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher said: "High speed rail can transform Britain. It can promote economic growth, regeneration and social inclusion.

"It is a low carbon option cutting domestic flights and taking cars and lorries off the road. It will release capacity on the existing rail network, and revolutionise passenger journeys.

High speed rail can transform Britain. It can promote economic growth, regeneration and social inclusion

Network Rail chief executive Iain Coucher