The preferred route for a new high speed rail line between London and Birmingham is due to be unveiled today by the government.
The line, dubbed HS2, will see trains running at up to 250mph cutting travel time between the two cities down to less than an hour.
But the Coalition faces a groundswell of opposition to the plans from those opposed to the new route which cuts through the Chilterns and Warwickshire.
Transport secretary Philip Hammond said those opposing the scheme had been the victims of “misinformation” and would discover that the consequences were “far less than they have been led to believe”.
Many parts of the line would be dug into cuttings and minor deviations included to avoid the most sensitive spots.
The multibillion-pound line due to start in 2015 is at the centre of the Government’s transport policy after it ruled out new runways in London-area airports.
The line is expected to run from a rebuilt Euston station in London and terminate at a new city centre station built at Curzon/Fazeley Street in Birmingham’s Eastside regeneration area.