The government plans to adopt magnetic trains traveling at nearly 300 miles an hour between London, the north of England and Glasgow.

The German-conceived Maglev in service at China's Shanghai airport had "impressed British ministers," the Guardian reported Monday.

The train floats about one centimeter above a metal rail. The line envisaged would be along the country's economic "spinal cord" from London to Glasgow through Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Prime Minister Tony Blair held a workshop on the subject. His advisers see a clear ecological advantage in the project as the speed of the train would mean internal flights would be largely unnecessary.

The Transrapid company put the cost at around 16 billion pounds without taking into account buying land.

"We've had discussions with N10 (Blair's office) -- now we'll be going to the Department for Transport," Shanghai project director Jochen Kruse was quoted as saying.

Similar projects are being studied for Munich airport in Germany, Pittsburgh airport in the United States and lines from Baltimore to Washington and Las Vegas to California.

(Chinanews.cn June 7, 2005)