London to Manchester in 1 hr 8 mins
Passengers will be able to get from London to Manchester in one hour and eight minutes - almost half the current journey time - once the high speed rail link is completed.
Today the government unveiled the proposed route between Birmingham and Leeds - having already drawn up plans for the London to Birmingham section.
However, a proposed spur to Heathrow has been put on hold, pending the results of Sir Howard Davies' review of future airport capacity - which is not due to give a final report until the summer of 2015.
Instead passengers heading to the world's busiest airport will have to change onto the new London east-west Crossrail service for an 11-minute transfer to terminals.
More top news
Where to avoid identity theft in London
East Ham has been labelled as an 'identity theft hotspot', according to a new report by credit checking agency Experian.
Full fixture list for Premier League London teams
The fixture list for the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League season has been published.
Ladybird population could be 'blitzed'
Scientists are warning our ladybird population will be ‘blitzed’ as a result of wet weather.