Yahoo News 
HS2 Second Phase: Ten facts about controversial rail network
As the Government today announced the next phase of the 'HS2' high-speed rail network, here are some facts and figures surrounding the controversial train route.
49 - The length of time, in minutes, of an HS2 journey from London to Birmingham. The same journey currently takes around 1 hour 24 minutes. London to Manchester will take just 1 hour 8 minutes on HS2, and Birmingham to Leeds will be 57 minutes.
250 - The top speed, in mph, at which HS2 trains would operate.
40,000 - The number of new jobs which, according to reports, will be created by the first of HS2.
2032 - The year in which the first lines on HS2 will open. Construction will start in 2017 once Parliament approves the necessary powers in 2015.
36.4bn - The total estimated cost of HS2, up from £32.7bn, making it the most expensive railway in the world.
2,000,000 - The number of trees which will be planted along the proposed route between London and the West Midlands.
14 - The number of Grade II-listed buildings which will be affected by the route between Birmingham and London.
70 - More than 70 groups are currently opposed to HS2, with many objecting to its probably effect on picturesque countryside.
9,000,000 - The number of road trips which the government estimate will shift onto rail, cutting carbon emissions.
27 - The estimated percentage of users who will only travel because HS2 is built, increasing the carbon output.
