The 100-mile first-phase of HS2 would be built between 2016 and 2026A controversial new high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham is expected to be given the go-ahead by the government later.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening is set to back the 100-mile (160 km) link, which would be built by 2026 and is the first phase of High Speed Two (HS2).
The government says it is the only way to cope with overcrowding but critics argue it will cut through some of England's most picturesque countryside.
The first phase will cost £17bn.
The entire cost of the project - including a second phase Y-shaped section extending to Manchester and Leeds, and possibly further north, by 2033 - is expected to be £32bn.
Supporters say the fleet of 220mph trains will cut the journey time from London to Birmingham to 49 minutes and take pressure of the busiest lines.
The government also argues the project will generate £44bn of benefits to the economy over 60 years.
Legal actionBut the project - introduced by Labour in 2010 and continued by the coalition government - has proved highly controversial.
Residents in the Chilterns, including some Conservative MPs, have opposed the project, and many protest groups have formed to oppose the scheme.
They say the planned route crosses an area of outstanding natural beauty and it will damage the environment. They also claim it will fail to bring the economic benefits promised by the government, and the money would be better spent on improving existing lines.
Opponents up and down the route are considering legal action, which could substantially delay the project.
However, the latest review by Network Rail, released last week, found that two main alternatives favoured by opponents could not "generate the capacity" needed.
Transport secretary Ms Greening is expected to announce more measures to mitigate the worst affects of the line.
BBC transport correspondent Richard Westcott says the government's decision is unlikely to be the end of the journey.
MPs will vote on a bill just before the next election, he says, and it will be at least 14 years before anyone will be catching a new high speed train.
Shadow transport secretary Maria Eagle said the decision was "an important milestone in the delivery of the HSR link first proposed by Labour in government".
Ms Eagle said analysis of alternatives had shown HS2 was the best way to address worsening capacity issues on main rail lines while cutting journey times.
"HS2 will now be taken forward on a cross-party basis to give it the certainty a major project of this kind needs," she added.
'Empty promise'
Ms Eagle said unless the coalition government sought parliamentary approval for the entire line then any commitment to build the whole route would be seen as an "empty promise".
Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies, said: "HS2 is a vote of confidence in the railways and recognition of the vital role the industry has to play in supporting jobs and driving sustainable economic growth."
But the Taxpayers' Alliance, a pressure group which lobbies for lower taxes, said the project would leave "generations of ordinary taxpayers paying for a train set that will mostly be used by the rich".
"HSR is a white elephant that won't help the millions of commuters stuck on overcrowded trains up and down Britain," said Emma Boon, campaign director.
Sarah Lee, head of policy for the Countryside Alliance, urged the government to reconsider rather than approve a scheme "without full consideration of the devastating impact HS2 will have on Britain's countryside or the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people living along the route".
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