For years, Britain has eyed high speed rail for its domestic service, seeing the successes in mainland Europe and Asia. The need for faster, more efficient, and simply more trains has become apparent with ridership expected to jump by 30% in the next decade and five of the country's rail lines to be at capacity in 2025.
Aplan with five new high speed rail lines, which will overlap the country's busiest lines, has been proposed to Network Rail, the company that operates and maintains the Britains's system and infrastructure. A study will look at the feasibility of bullet train service along certain routes, which will be presented in summer next year. If approved, this will be the U.K.'s largest railway construction project since the 19th Century.
Service will not begin until after 2014, two years after the London hosts the Olympics.
The two lines that will most likely be approved for high speed rail are the East Coast and West Coast mainlines, which connect London to Edinburgh and Glasgow. Other routes that are considered are the Midlands mainline (London to Sheffield), Great Western Line (London to Cardiff or South Wales), and the Chiltern Line (London to Birmingham).
Currently, the only high speed rail line in the U.K., by international definition (trains must travel at least 250 km/h), is the Eurostar line from London Saint Pancras to mainland Europe. Although there are stops within Britain before the train crosses the Channel Tunnel, passengers cannot book domestic tickets on Eurostar. Domestic service will start in 2010 for Kent and Ashford.
The last major railway construction before the completion of the Eurostar line was in 1899, when Sheffield was linked to London Marylebone.
Photo:Flickr/slideshow bob.
