The Association of Train Operating Companies and the Campaign for Better Transport said the high-speed rail link was vital, but it should not come at the expense of investment in the rest of the rail network.

BBC: HS2: Good case for high-speed rail link, say MPs

"Passenger rail service, especially services at higher and high speeds, will require new safety rules, constant public capital investment and operating subsidies, and balance with freight rail service and the rest of the national transportation system -- and currently only some of these elements are in place, " according to a GAO report.

CNN: Is the U.S. turning a corner on high-speed rail?

Lindenthal was responsible for the stately Williamsburg Bridge and for a series of important rail bridges that linked New York City with the rest of the eastern seaboard.

FORBES: American Pyramids

Better rail links between North and South Wales and Wales and the rest of the UK have been called for by passengers and train staff alike for years.

BBC: News Online

Beijing News on Monday quoted people from the China Railway No. 3 Engineering Group as saying that the pits were dug to make room for a giant crane to lift away the rest of the carriages that remain on the overhead rail tracks.

FORBES: In China Train Crash; Buried Evidence?

The freezing weather in Belgium and northern France also hit rail services, including the cross-Channel Eurostar, which cancelled trains for the rest of the day.

BBC: Snow disrupts Frankfurt flights and Eurostar trains

Estonians and Latvians fear the dispute may block better road, rail and power links to the south-east that will end their isolation from the rest of Europe.

ECONOMIST: Lithuania and Poland seem to have hit an icy impasse