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Civil Engineers Map Out Major Rail Route

Posted on: Friday, 20 January 2006, 06:00 CST

By Anonymous

A high-speed rail route linking London to Scotland could be built for 3 billion a year over ten years, according to an Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) report.

The study, out this week, suggests that the link should be built on new track. It could use methods similar to the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL), the UK's first purpose-built high-speed rail link, to make the route more affordable, the report notes.

It advises that the route could be kept to greenfield land to enable trains to take the most direct route passing close to major towns. Out-of-town stations could then provide links to city centres with frequent transit services, it recommends.

The institution argues that the land take for a new long- distance railway line would be less than that needed for a new motorway. Using the land for a high-speed rail route is likely to be more acceptable to the public, its report contends.

"High-speed rail should lead to a shift back to the railways, countering growth in domestic air travel," said an ICE spokesman. A passenger-only line could make more room on the network forfreight, the report adds.

Meanwhile, Virgin Trains announced that its Pendolino trains will run at full tilt from next week, travelling from London to Glasgow in just under four-and-a-half hours.

The Missing Link can be viewed via www.PlanningResource.co.uk.

Pendolino: Virgin Trains London to Glasgow service to go full tilt

Copyright Haymarket Business Publications Ltd. Dec 16, 2005

Source: Planning

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