Transport Secretary Justine Greening has given the green light to the £32 billion project. The scheme known as 'HS2' will cut journey times between London and Birmingham to 49 minutes but will could change some of our communities forever as it ploughs through the countryside on its route.
The first phase is expected to be complete by 2026 with an extension north of Birmingham complete by 2032/2033.
Watch Lisa Hartle's report...
Listen again to our on-air documentary. (Broadcast on Weds 18th January 2012, 18.00)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
High Speed Rail 2, justified?
Do the benefits of having a high speed rail line between London and Birmingham outweigh the negative impacts on the area?
Last year Nick Jewers from the News Team investigated the implications of the proposed train line. Click below to see the three-part documentary which followed Nick as he travelled from London to Birmingham talking to those affected, as well people involved in developing the route. He also went down to Kent to speak to those who lived through the construction of HS1.
The Government will be publishing more information about the new compensation scheme for people affected by HS2 soon. For more information
click here
The Night Shift
HS2 Part 1
