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The controversial HS2 rail line “will be built”, the Government has insisted.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling believes the case for the controversial project is "as strong as ever" as the rail network rapidly approaches "crunch-point".

“Creaking” Victorian lines will be unable to cope with growing demand as the country's population continues to grow, he will tell a HS2 conference today.

Mr Grayling will tell the meeting in London: "We're not backing away from HS2. The case is as strong as ever.

"We need this railway. And if we're going to build it, let's make it state-of-the-art, fit for the decades of growth ahead.

"So that in 2033, we no longer have a rail network with a Victorian heart but a network with an Elizabethan heart, able to deliver everything we expect of a 21st century transport system."

MPs warned last month that ministers must set out a realistic timetable for delivering HS2.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was "not convinced" that the target for completing phase one between London and the West Midlands by December 2026 will be met.

Its report also warned that cost estimates for phase two, which takes it from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, are "still volatile" and exceed available funding by £7 billion.

Mr Grayling will also say: "We need HS2 now more than ever.

"We need it for the capacity it will bring on the routes between London, the West Midlands, Crewe, Leeds and Manchester, as well as the space it'll create elsewhere on our transport network.

"We need it for the boost it will give to our regional and national economies.

"And we need it for the jobs it will create, and for the way it will link our country together."

He will add: "We're facing a rapidly approaching crunch-point.

"In the last 20 years alone, the number of people travelling on our railways has more than doubled.

"And demand is set to increase still further. And it's not just about crowding in the carriages - it's also about crowding on the tracks themselves. Our rail network is the most intensively used of any in Europe."

In a letter to Mr Grayling last month, Andrew Tyrie, the Tory chairman of the Commons Treasury committee described HS2 as having “the weakest economic case” of all the big infrastructure projects and questioned why it was “being pushed through with the most enthusiasm”, Mail Online reported.

Ministers say HS2 will cut the journey time from London to Birmingham from one hour 21 minutes to 49 minutes – with trains travelling at top speeds of 250mph.

Over the summer it emerged that the bill had already reached almost £1.4billion before any track has been laid.

A DfT spokesman told Mail Online: “HS2 is a major investment but an essential one. We are keeping a tough grip on costs and are determined to deliver it on time and on budget.

“It will become the backbone of our national rail network and help us build an economy that works for all by connecting our cities, supporting growth and generating thousands of jobs.

“Alternatives cannot provide the step change in capacity and connectivity this country needs. Nor do they address the issue of reliability.”