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By Sir Albert Bore

Today another major milestone is reached for Britain’s high speed rail ambitions.  

rail line between London and the West Midlands. 

If the Bill is passed successfully – expected around 2015 – then initial construction work can begin in 2016/17 and the first trains will arrive at a 21st century high speed rail station at Moor Street in Eastside. 

This first phase will free up much needed space on our crowded railways, particularly at the southern end of the network, and shorten journey times between the capital and our city.

I personally am greatly encouraged that this legislation has gone into Parliament now as there has been a huge amount of debate about the merits of the project and whether it would even go ahead. 

This Bill is a real statement of intent from the Government and very much underlines that it is going to happen. 

We should be proud that Birmingham is to be at the very heart of the so called Y-network, with trains running north in Phase Two from Moor Street through the East Midlands to Sheffield and Leeds and along the western leg through Crewe and on to Manchester.

The proposed HS2 routes

This will greatly improve transport connections between the main population centres outside London with the all the resulting benefits this can bring.