Chris Gayling has vowed that the proposed plans for a new line from London to Birmingham with later extensions to both Manchester and Leeds will go ahead.
There had been speculation that HS2 plans may have been scrapped by new Prime Minister Theresa May's Government.
However, Gayling stated he had no plans to back away from the project.
He said:
"HS2 has always been a capacity project as much as a speed project.
"It makes sense if we're going to build a new railway line for it to be a fast railway line, to increase travel times or reduce travel times from north to south.
"But actually we need a better transport system for the 21st century and HS2 is part of increasing the capacity of our transport system."
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