The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have criticised the government's high-speed rail plans, saying they stop short of a link to north-east England.

In March, Labour announced proposals for a 250mph rail service from London to Birmingham with possible future extensions to Leeds and Manchester.

Both the Conservatives and Lib Dems claim they would commit to a link as far as the North East and beyond into Scotland.

The public is due to be consulted on the current plans. In the first phase, trains would run from London Euston through Leamington Spa and Coventry and on to Birmingham. (see our story Government releases high speed rail plans 14 March 2010)

Any future extensions to northern England would run in a Y shape, with one branch to Sheffield and Leeds and the other to Liverpool and Manchester.

Although the trains would only travel at normal speeds north of Leeds, the government claimed the North East would still benefit from the increased journey times of "through trains".

A Labour Party spokesperson said "At the heart of our growth plan is the commitment to a new high-speed rail line, linking North and South.

"Built in stages, the initial line will link London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, and then to the North and Scotland.

"By running through-trains from day one, cities including Newcastle will also be part of the initial network."

The Conservatives said they would connect London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, then deliver two new lines bringing the North East, Scotland and Wales into the high-speed rail network.

"This is the first step towards achieving our vision of creating a national high-speed rail network to join up major cities across England, Scotland and Wales," according to a spokesman.

A spokesperson for the Lib Dems said: "The Liberal Democrats want a UK-wide high-speed rail line to include Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

"The Tories have always wanted to stop high-speed rail at Leeds."