Plans to cut rail journey times between Scotland and London to three hours are set to be announced by ministers.
Keith Brown, secretary for Scottish infrastructure, will unveil a report into proposals to upgrade cross-border railway lines with the UK minister for high-speed rail, Robert Goodwill, today.
The plans, which are expected to take years to complete, will set out a range of options for both the East and West Coast main lines.
It has been reported that choices will include an upgrading programme for existing lines and the construction of new tracks.
The proposals will commit the Scottish and UK Governments to a programme of improvements designed to link Scotland into England’s high-speed rail projects.
The Scottish Government will also publish a separate report on options to create a high-speed rail line between Edinburgh and Glasgow.
The report, which was commissioned at the end of 2013, followed lobbying by Scottish ministers for Scotland to be included in the UK’s high-speed rail network.
Mr Brown told The Times that the publication of the report would ‘set the wheels in motion for high-speed rail in Scotland’.
He said: “This concludes a long and tortuous process, and begins another, but it’s a long way from 2011 when high-speed rail was set only to benefit the south of England while we were not even allowed to join the conversation.”
Passengers were warned to expect delays and plan their journeys in advance prior to the start of works, which are due to last five months. Diversions in place because of the works are expected to add 25 minutes to journey times.
The works are expected to cause queues at stations across the central belt, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, during busy periods.
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