As part of the tender process interested parties were invited to contribute funds for the approval stage of the project, which will ultimately be given the go-ahead in a parliamentary vote.

Other companies still have until the end of January 2000 to table their interest in the project. So far, thirty businesses have declared their intentions to bid for all or part of the £5 billion project, including major civil contractors and railway equipment businesses.

The identities of those bidding remains commercially confidential until the bidding process is completed.

"This is a tremendous response from the industry. Confidence is growing in this exciting project, which will deliver what we all want: more freight carried by rail and fewer lorries on our choked road network."

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  Central Railway is proposing to design, build and operate a new rail link connecting the North West to northern France. The line will run from Liverpool, via Manchester, Sheffield, the Midlands and London, through the Channel Tunnel to Lille in Northern France. The railway will be primarily for freight. In constructing the new line it is intended that a majority of the track will be existing or disused railways.


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  The railway will create a unique link into Europe as the only railway able to carry standard European freight and passenger trains (as well as any UK train) and standard road haulage equipment.