High-speed rail link a priority under any Conservative Government  

High speed rail line  Building a new high-speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds would be one of the Conservative Party's first acts in Government if they win the next general election, Shadow Transport Secretary, Theresa Villiers MP, has said.  The Conservatives announced their plans for the new line at their party conference in October last year, three months before the Government launched their own proposals. The overall cost is estimated to be £20 billion in today's money. £15.7 billion of this would be met by the taxpayer with the rest being generated by the private sector. Ms Villiers told the Birmingham Post “we would want to get started on the preparation, including preparing for the competition for building the line, as soon as possible if we do win the general election. We have set out a timetable for delivering the whole of what...