UK backs high-speed railway despite soaring cost

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday gave his backing for the new HS2 high-speed railway, despite concerns about soaring costs and opposition from his own MPs.

Johnson said the project linking London to central and northern England was crucial to his plan to rebalance the British economy away from the dominance of London and the southeast, while also tackling climate change.

"If we start now, services could be running by the end of the decade. So today ... the cabinet has given high speed rail the green signal," he told the House of Commons. Echoing his promise in December's election to "Get Brexit Done", which saw Britain leave the European Union on January 31, he added: "We are going to get this done."