future
potential
HigH-speed rail
EuroPE’s high-spEEd rail
nEtwork is sEt to trEblE in sizE
by 2020, bringing morE citiEs
within four hours rEach – thE
Pivotal Point at which pEoplE
choosE rail ovEr air. could uK
PassEngErs join thEm or will
thErE still bE missing linKs?
Future rail

operators such as Eurostar are already wooing where the european high-speed network begins and
passengers with fast, low-carbon journeys – london to ends. travel from london to anywhere else in the uK
paris, for example, now takes just two hours and 15 and it’s back to conventional rail, with its maximum
minutes. High-speed rail generates a fraction of the co
2
speed of 125mph, but only in places. many now
of air travel. the future looks bright. believe it’s time the uK considered building its own
“it’s the most civilised way to travel,” reckons high-speed network.
simon calder, travel editor of uK newspaper The “in europe, high-speed rail lines play a substantial
Independent. “it gives you entirely productive time and, role in facilitating and spreading economic
for the most part, a pleasant travelling experience that development, bringing cities closer together,” says
compares favourably with pretty much any other form richard brown, chief executive of eurostar. “britain
of transport.” needs some of that.”
modern high-speed railways are usually purpose- making better use of existing infrastructure is the
built and dedicated to passenger traffic – there are no cornerstone of current government rail policy and is
slow moving goods trains to get in the way, no level highlighted in the 2007 white paper, Delivering a
crossings and few intermediate stations. the Sustainable Railway. £10 billion will be invested in uK
benchmark speed on high-speed routes is 300kph capacity improvements between 2009 and 2014.
(186mph), although many routes are configured for up atkins is playing a lead role in renovating the existing
to 350kph (220mph). network, with recent projects including the major
resignalling upgrade at rugby and nuneaton, part of
Planning the journey the west coast mainline programme, and installations
the uK currently has only one stretch of modern high- and commissioning work for the resignalling and
speed railway, High speed 1, which links the eurostar infrastructure upgrade at basingstoke. better signalling,
terminal at london’s st pancras international station track improvements and longer trains will all help to
with the channel tunnel. the final section of this route ease the strain. but will it be enough? atkins’ recently
opened late last year. but st pancras international is published high-speed rail report, by michael Hayes – the
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