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The government is set to give the go-ahead for a controversial new high-speed rail link between London and the Midlands.
Construction work on phase one of the £32 billion High Speed 2 (HS2) project is set to commence in 2016 and be completed in 2026 - providing a service offering a 225 mph, 49-minute journey from London to Birmingham.
A second phase of the project will see a 'Y-shaped' extension linking in both Manchester and Leeds by 2033.
Speaking on the ITV programme Daybreak, Adam Marshall from the British Chamber of Commerce said: "This would be a radical break and would stop the process of make do and mend which has characterised the way we handle our infrastructure here in our country for so long".
However, the government's plans have been met with anger from environmental campaigners.
The Countryside Alliance said HS2 will have a "devastating impact" on the countryside.
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