To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the statement of 11 March 2010, Official Report, columns 446-50, on high speed rail, when work will commence on the section of the route between the Birmingham spur and where the line joins the existing West Coast Mainline north of Lichfield; how many tracks there will be on this section; and whether any additional tracks will run adjacent to the existing West Coast Mainline. (322686)

‘High Speed Rail’ states that subject to public consultation and parliamentary approval, work on this section of the line could commence after the opening of Crossrail from 2017. The preferred route option as outlined in ‘High Speed Rail’ indicates that the line would have two tracks. The new line would not run adjacent to the West Coast Main Line other than within the immediate vicinity of the junction between the two, which would be located to the north-east of Lichfield. Maps setting out this information are available on the Department for Transport's website at:

www.dft.gov.uk/highspeedrail