Sadiq says...

This from Transport Minister Sadiq Khan, via Twitter...

Big big announcment today on High Speed Rail. Lord Adonis to make in Lords at 1130 with me making statement in Commons at 1215. Big Day!

Who says Twitter isn't useful.

UPDATE:This from Lobby Fodder...

Thought you might like to know that there will also be an un-press conference with Lord Adonis between 14:00 and 15:00 this afternoon.

But as it will be "off the record" and "off camera" it won't officially be happening.

And now that you know I'm afraid I'll have to kill you.

UPDATE: This just in from the DfT Press Office...

To confirm our press conference today is on-the-record but off-camera.

UPDATE: This from our man at 222 Marylebone Road...

According to the Thin Control-freak writing in The Thunderer today:

"Three of the pioneers of high- speed rail are Japan, the Netherlands and South Korea."

Ah yes, who can forget the race between the Dutch and the Japanese to be first with a high speed line.

Those were the days when the railway world followed with fascination the ever increasing speeds achieved in test runs of the Bullet Train and 'Flying Clog'.

UPDATE: This from 10 Downing Street, via Twitter...

No10: Gordon Brown travelling to East Midlands this morning ahead of the government's HS2 announcement.

The 'tweet' was accompanied by this picture:


His staff may wish to ensure that there are no mobiles in the vicinity when they tell him he is on the wrong train...

UPDATE: This from the Commuter at about 12:12...

See there's a pic of Gordon Brown taking the train to the HS2 announcement on his Twitter feed.

Funny, because I live opposite the site and saw his cavalcade of about 6 highly polluting cars, accompanied by several police motorcycles, pull up a few hours ago.

So he certainly didn't arrive by train!