The Government will launch a consultation on plans for the controversial £30 billion HS2 high-speed rail project today (Monday).

Transport Secretary Philip Hammond will say that the project, initially running from London to Birmingham, will deliver about £44 billion worth of benefits.

But residents groups, some local councils and some Tory MPs are firmly against HS2, with opponents lighting a series of beacons today to highlight their displeasure.

There are also concerns that the planned 2015 start date for the scheme will be difficult to meet.

The 140-mile first phase could cost about £17 billion and there are plans for extensions north of Birmingham to northern England and Scotland.

But the first phase passes through beauty spots, and while the Government, the rail industry and big business are backing the scheme, opponents say there is no economic or environmental case for HS2.

The consultation will be one of the biggest ever undertaken and will include presentations and seminars.

People will be asked not only for their views on the preferred route but on whether they think high-speed rail is the right answer to Britain’s transport needs in the first place.

The Department for Transport published the results of a Government-commissioned survey.

Based on responses from 2,037 adults, the poll showed that 47 per cent were in favour of HS2, nine per cent opposed to it and 44 per cent undecided or neutral about it.

Mr Hammond said: “HS2 will be a piece of national infrastructure which will bring benefits to Britain as a whole.

“Of course we will do everything we can to mitigate the impacts on areas like the Chilterns but projects like this have to be decided on the basis of the national interest and the overall net benefits it will bring to Britain.”

The Government says HS2 will cut journey times between London and other major cities by as much as an hour.

Government documents will give more details about the project which was first suggested by Labour and has been taken up by the coalition Government.

The documents are expected to show how many homes will be affected by noise and will also present the economic and environmental case for the line.

It is thought that around 4,860 homes will experience extra noise as a result of the line. But possibly as few as 10 properties will suffer from high noise levels and only another 150 will need noise insulation.

Last week almost 70 top bosses, including CBI director-general John Cridland and former British Airways chief executive Willie Walsh, gave their backing for HS2.

But Lizzie Williams, chairman of the Stop HS2 group, believes the project is “a complete waste of taxpayers’ money when we can least afford it”.

Network Rail (NR) said HS2 would be “a hugely significant enhancement to the national rail network and will unlock tremendous capacity to tackle, what will be by 2024, critical overcrowding on the West Coast Main Line”.

Michael Roberts, chief executive of the Association of Train Operating Companies said a new HSR line was “key if we are to meet the transport challenges that will face the country over the coming decades”.

Ashwin Kumar, rail director of rail customer watchdog Passenger Focus, said: “Wherever this new line is built, there will be winners and losers. It is important that the Government and industry continues to discuss the implications of this decision with affected communities and addresses concerns.”