A coalition of local authorities have hit out at the Government's plans for a high speed rail line from London to Birmingham.
The 2M Group - consisting of 24 borough councils - says Lord Adonis' announcement falls short of the kind of national network needed.
The councils - who also oppose the Heathrow expansion - have called for a 'properly configured network'. They are also critical of the decision to plot the route through the Chilterns saying it could 'deal a fatal blow' to prospects for a credible UK-wide network.
Leader of Hounslow LBC, Cllr Peter Thompson, speaking on behalf of the group, said: 'The Government has chosen just about the most environmentally disastrous - and costly - route possible and ignored a much simpler M1 alignment which would provide better value for money and offer a more direct service to the centre of London where most travellers will want to go.
'It will be mired in controversy for years and set back the cause of a national high speed network for decades.
'Before lines start getting drawn on maps we need an open debate which asks why we want high speed rail and what we want it to achieve. If one of the key objectives is to get people to switch from air to rail then we need to make sure that we have a network that can deliver this.'
