The High Speed 2 rail link between London and the North is “going to happen”, the Transport Secretary has said.

Chris Grayling reiterated the Government’s support for the controversial project, saying Britain needs the link “now more than ever” as the country’s Victorian rail network struggles to cope with population growth.

“It is ready to happen, it is going to happen, and it’s going to make a massive difference to our country”, he said during a conference in East London.

“We will see it though to completion with the first trains running in the next decade.”

He said the first phase of the project is planned between London and Birmingham.

The Transport Secretary announced £30m to improve road safety and £40m to support communities affected by the line to the Midlands.

He denied the pressure of Brexit would derail the project.

“We have got a good team, a good plan and a good track record,” he said.

“I am very confident that this is a project that will happen on time and on budget.”

Mr Grayling is reiterating the Government’s commitment after MPs warned last month that ministers should provide a clearer timetable for delivering HS2.

MPs on the Public Accounts Committee said they were “not convinced” the target for completing the first phase – between London and the West Midlands – by the end of 2026 would be met.

They also raised concerns that estimates of the costs for phase two – which extends from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds – are “still volatile” and exceed available funding by £7bn.

But Mr Grayling insisted the case for the railway link was strong.

“Why on earth would we not want to build a new, state-of-the-art, world-beating railway line, rather than using yesterday’s technology?

“So what happens in 2033, is we don’t have a railway line that is entirely harping back to the Victorian era, we have a network with an Elizabethan heart, able to deliver everything we need of a 21st century transport system.”