England Looks to Rush High-Speed Rail Projects
Opponents concerned about rural destruction and blight
The Department for Transport has unveiled its plans for the northern section of the controversial HS2 railway but has faced anger from Tories representing constituencies along the route who say it will destroy large swathes of the countryside and "blight" lives.
The 225mph trains will link London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds by 2033.
It emerged that plans to connect the £32 billion train line directly to Heathrow have been put on hold until the Davies Commission on airport capacity has reported.