£20bn moves to launch bullet trains

MINISTERS are planning Japanese-style 200mph bullet trains that could take passengers from London to Manchester in 80 minutes.

Transport minister Lord Adonis believes there is a strong economic case for spending £20billion on a high-speed rail link alongside the West Coast Main Line, one of the most congested routes in the country despite an £8.8billion upgrade completed this year.

The service, which would cut journey times to Birmingham and Manchester by a third, would be modelled on the bullet trains pioneered in Japan in the Sixties. It is understood the Government wants to begin work as soon as possible so the trains can be running within 20 years, and will use planning laws to avoid a public inquiry.

The plans have been given impetus by a visit Lord Adonis made with Iain Coucher, the head of Network Rail, to Japan last month. The Transport minister said: "In Japan it has been a powerful force for economic regeneration and national pride. It could be the same in Britain."

His comments come ahead of a government report on the viability of a high-speed rail network. It is thought the National Networks Strategy Group will report that it will be the only way Britain can cope in the long term with the growing popularity of rail travel.