Running along the line of the M1, the route would make it easier for people to get to Heathrow, reducing the need for internal connecting flights.

It would provide direct connections from other parts of the UK to a growing network of European cities including Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Lyon.

European links via the Channel Tunnel would mean travellers could get from Sheffield to Paris in three hours, Manchester to Amsterdam in four hours and Leeds to Frankfurt in five-and-a-half hours.

The plan drawn up by chartered civil engineer Colin Elliff envisages a single England-Scotland spine route created with spur connections to outlying cities
 
It would be built in phases with the first section running from London to Leicester, with a branch to Birmingham and connecting to the existing West Coast and Midland Main lines. 

The second phase would extend from Leicester along the M1/M18 corridor and connect to the East Coast Main Line in Yorkshire

The third phase could extend from Sheffield to Leeds, and follow the disused Woodhead line to Manchester. This would require the former rail tunnel here to be re-opened for high-speed track.

While the final stages would extend to Liverpool along the M62 corridor and shadow the East Coast Main Line and M8 corridors to Edinburgh and Glasgow
*There will also be Heathrow compass points, with up to 40 trains an hour dispersing Heathrow passengers to Home Counties destinations and linking with main line services.

The plan, which could be completed by 2030, is being unveiled on Monday by the 2M Group- an all-party alliance of local authorities concerned at the environmental impact of Heathrow expansion on their communities.

The group, which took its name from the 2 million residents of the original 12 members, now represents 21 authorities with a combined population of 4.5 million people.