Waverley 'ruled out' as high-speed service hub

EDINBURGH'S main railway station has been all but ruled out of being able to accommodate a new high-speed rail link between Scotland and London, Scotland on Sunday has learned.

Transport leaders have said Waverley Station is incapable of being expanded enough to become home to the proposed 400-metre long trains.

City council officials in the capital say the only option for expanding Waverley – by creating new lines and platforms under the existing station – is unlikely to get off the ground due to the huge costs involved.

Further problems over the difficulties in expanding the number of tunnels which go beneath the Mound are also thought to have ruled out using Waverley.

Instead, a huge expansion of the capital's Haymarket station, to become a major new transport hub for the city, is being looked at if the multi-billion pound intercity link is given the green light.

It is hoped the moves will trigger the revival of plans for a full-scale overhaul of Haymarket station and surrounding area, a vision shelved last year due to funding problems. Under the previous 200 million scheme the station's concourse and public areas would have virtually trebled in size.

The UK government is expected to give approval to the principle of the new line between London and Scotland next month. The line would run from central London, via Birmingham, Manchester and Preston, then fork in two at Carstairs to allow it to reach both Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Network Rail's chief executive, Iain Croucher, said earlier this month that he was confident the UK government would agree to high-speed extending as far as Scotland.

The 34bn scheme, unveiled last August, would see 200mph trains travelling from Edinburgh to London in just two hours and nine minutes.

Dave Anderson, director of city development at the city council, said: "It's highly unlikely Waverley could be expanded enough for the high-speed service.

"The only real option for expanding Waverley is to build right underneath the existing station, which would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.

"Building a new hub elsewhere would only cost a fraction in comparison."