Bosses at the West Midlands transport authority have applauded new Government plans unveiled today which show the region at the heart of a national High Speed Rail network.

Centro Chief Executive Geoff Inskip was with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Regional Minister for the West Midlands Ian Austin MP this morning when they revealed the proposals.

The plans would see 54,000 people a day travelling to two Birmingham stations - one in the city centre by Moor Street station transporting people to London in under 50 minutes, and the other near Birmingham Airport providing passengers with a 38 minute rail link to the capital.

They will also provide major opportunities to improve the local transport network.

The planned High Speed lines will provide a massive boost to the West Midland’s regeneration prospects, competitiveness and national and international transport connections, while bringing an estimated 60,000 jobs to the region.

They will also free up much needed capacity on the local rail network, providing the opportunity to offer a wider range of high quality local and national train services for passengers.

Together with the high speed rail connections, these enhanced local services will play a key part in making the West Midlands more attractive to business, visitors and redevelopment.

Geoff said: “The High Speed rail proposals unveiled today are excellent news for the region, and vitally important not only for boosting our economy and competitiveness, but by allowing us to provide better local rail services.

“These exciting plans are the culmination of the partnership working between Lord Adonis' HS2 and Centro and we’re delighted to see them being progressed.

“Our priority now is to work with our regional partners to make sure the right bus, rail and Metro services are in place to connect with the high speed rail lines so people anywhere in the region can connect easily with High Speed rail, and arriving passengers can seamlessly transfer on to a high quality local transport network.

“Taking the opportunity to make these local transport improvements before High Speed Rail comes to the region is vital if we are to make the most of being at the heart of the national network for business, residents and visitors to the West Midlands.”

One of Centro’s key transport projects that would complement High Speed Rail is the extension of the Midland Metro through Birmingham City Centre, the business case for which is currently with the Government for approval.

The creation of new rail lines into Birmingham Moor Street station, known as the Camp Hill Chords, would also be part of a package of rail network improvements which would be essential in making the most of the High Speed Rail link in the city centre.

Centro has also welcomed the Government’s plans for two stations in the region, a terminal station in the city centre at by Moor Street Station, and one for through trains near to Birmingham International Airport and the NEC.

Cllr Gary Clarke, Chairman of Centro said: “The proposal in today’s strategy for two high speed stations in the West Midlands is absolutely the right choice for the region and means we can get maximum benefits from these plans.

“They tie in perfectly with our vision to provide the West Midlands with a world class public transport system, with high quality interchanges, better connectivity in town and city centres, fast and frequent links between high quality bus, rail and Metro services and state-of-the-art information and ticketing.”

Cllr Tim Huxtable, lead member for Birmingham and rail and metro operations at Centro added: “These plans for High Speed Rail will play a key role in making Birmingham and the wider West Midlands a truly global region, allowing us to compete more effectively with our European neighbours that already have the benefits of High Speed train links.

“Plans for a station at the airport and a high speed hub by Moor Street station in the city centre will make high speed rail much easier to get to and from for the vast majority of people in the West Midlands and will also attract major redevelopment to the area.”

HSR will nearly halve journey times to London, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester from the West Midlands and significantly reduce the time it takes to get to Europe by rail.

Centro will be studying the Government’s plans in detail and will respond to the consultation later in the year.