RAIL industry firms in Derbyshire have welcomed the Government's plan to build a £30bn high-speed network, but warned that money must still be invested in existing lines.

Lord Adonis has announced that he wants to construct a new high-speed rail network carrying trains at 250mph from London to northern England, passing through the East Midlands.

Documents put out by the Government estimate that the investment would directly create 10,000 jobs, with firms in Derbyshire's rail industry set to be among those to benefit.

Ian Duffy, managing director of ID Computing, in Chellaston, said he thought Derbyshire companies would welcome the news.

"There's no doubt that on high-speed rail the UK is behind the rest of the world so this is great news for the future," he said.

The Government wants to build a Y-shaped network running from London to Birmingham first, with one branch then heading to Manchester and a second branch going to Leeds via the East Midlands.

Officials estimate that building the London/Birmingham stretch of the line will take six-and-a-half years, with construction beginning in 2017.

Peter Roberts is managing director at Collis Engineering Ltd, in Alfreton, a company that specialises in the design, supply and installation of support structures for signals.

"We've been waiting for this for some time and we're absolutely hoping that it will bring opportunities," he said.

"The UK desperately needs this rail link.

"But we need to keep this in perspective and not get too excited about it right now.

"In my company we work to an eight-week order book and we are not likely to start turning the soil on this project until 2017."

Neil Ferguson-Lee is director at WyvernRail Plc and offers a testing and training facility based in Wirksworth for rail engineering companies.

He said: "High speed has been a long time coming and it provides a huge opportunity on many levels for the industry – everything from civil engineering to the construction of the trains themselves."

Meanwhile Andy Kevins, is managing director of Yellow Rail, a consultancy firm on London Road, Derby, which helps rail companies with sales, marketing and bidding for contracts.

He said: "High speed will be a boost, but people are going to be saying what about now? A lot of people have been affected by the economic downturn and most people are concerned about today and tomorrow."