Osborne Mulls Shinkansen Technology for U.K. High-Speed Line

January 19, 2012, 9:30 AM EST By Gonzalo Vina

(Adds use of Hitachi Javelin trains in U.K. in fifth paragraph.)

Jan. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne said Britain may adopt technology used by Japan’s Shinkansen trains on new high-speed rail lines running from London to northern England.

“I want Britain to set the standard for the next generation of high-speed rail -- for level of technology, quality of travel and value for money,” Osborne said during a visit to Tokyo today, according to remarks released by his office in London. “Japan is the home of high-speed rail. So we will look at all the options, including using bullet-train technology in Britain.”

The U.K. government this month approved a plan to build a high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham and on to northern England. The London-Birmingham route will open in 2026 with lines to Manchester and Leeds in 2032-33. The government is seeking private-sector and European Union funding to help meet the 32.7 billion-pound ($50.4 billion) cost of the project.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s coalition government says the high-speed line will boost the capacity of the U.K.’s rail network, slash journey times and ease overcrowding on existing lines, as well as allow northern cities better access to London’s economy.

Hitachi Ltd. has already supplied trains using Shinkansen technology to Britain. The Tokyo-based company’s Javelin units provide an express commuter service to London along the High Speed 1 line to the Channel Tunnel.

--With assistance from Christopher Jasper in London. Editors: Andrew Atkinson, Eddie Buckle

To contact the reporter on this story: Gonzalo Vina in London at gvina@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: James Hertling at jhertling@bloomberg.net

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