The move would bring hundreds of millions of pounds of investment to an area which was once the city's powerhouse.

The area is already on track for new jobs, housing, shops, bars and eateries for a part of the city which has been starved of funding for generations.

Collegelands is already part of the biggest building project in Europe.

That regeneration is already well under way but it's been given a major boost with the exclusive news in last night's the Evening Times that a massive new railway station could be built at the gateway to the East End. It would accommodate a new generation of high-speed trains which would link Glasgow with London.

With the new trains slashing journey times to just three hours from the English capital, civic leaders recognise it would be a great bit of business for Scotland's largest city if track upgrades went over the border.

The system is currently planned to run from London to Birmingham and could be extended to either Leeds or Manchester.

George Redmond is an East Ender through and through. Born and bred in Bridgeton, he is a Glasgow City Councillor for neighbouring Calton. The Prime Minister might well talk about his Big Society but for Labour George it's all about the Big Vision for his part of the city.

He asks: "Who would have believed the Commonwealth Games would ever come to Glasgow's East End?"

Councillor Redmond believes the transformation which has already begun has given locals renewed confidence and reckons it's only a matter of time before his beloved East End is as vibrant and the city's West End.

He predicts the area will attract new families and couples keen to set down roots and with them businesses, from trendy eateries to swanky bars. George admits there is still much to be done but insists: "Our ambitions know no end."

Council chiefs have already identified a possible site for the rail station. It's derelict land which stretches from High Street Station to Bellgrove Station.

And it sits behind the new Collegelands, a £200million masterplan which will create a very physical gateway to the East End on 17 acres of wasteland which have remained derelict for 25 years. Offices, retail units and residential housing will breathe new life into a part of the city which was once home to Glasgow University and the City of Glasgow Union Railway.

The university moved west in 1870 but students will return to the site for the first time in 140 years when work is completed on a 558-bed accommodation unit which is being built for those attending the city's universities and colleges. The unit will be ready for this autumn's semester.

The site – dubbed Britain's biggest new-start regeneration programme – will also include a hotel and is being developed by the Prestwick-based Dawn Group.

It will be another five years at least before the masterplan is completed and at least three decades before the dream of high-speed rail connections between Glasgow and London becomes a reality if at all.

But George isn't the only one with a Big Vision. Dawn's construction director Paul O'Donnell also recognises the huge benefits of a super rail hub in the East End.

He said: "Collegelands is hugely supportive of the proposals to introduce a high-speed rail link to the East End of Glasgow.

"The regeneration of this historic quarter is bringing a massive economic boost to Glasgow and the wider area and this superior level of improved connectivity will attract further investment and organisations."

Gordon Matheson, council leader in Glasgow, is firmly in the driving seat and is pressing the Scottish Government to fund the £7m bill for a feasibility study.

He said: "High-speed rail would contribute enormously to the investment which is already under way in the area with the new hotel, office space, car park and housing.

"It would give a massive boost to the economy of the East End and provide better city transport links. The land for the proposed station is derelict and has been for decades.

"I am not aware of any other proposals for it which would come anywhere near the scale of a high-speed rail station or would make such an economic impact to Glasgow and Scotland."

Massive investment to revamp area

The East End is booming with multi-million pound projects which will be lifechanging for locals and will attract new residents and businesses over the decades.

Both public and private sectors are investing huge sums of cash into an area that's been neglected for too long and projects include:

l Major sports arena and velodrome for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and an athletes' village.

l The East End Regeneration Route: A three-mile road costing up to £90m to link the M74 extension to the heart of the East End.

l The £35m Clyde Gateway East Business Park in London Road capable of attracting up to 1500 jobs and the £3.6m conversion of derelict shops in Dalmarnock Road into business suites.

l Dalmarnock Rail Station is being upgraded at a cost of £9m while a £4.75m pedestrian bridge will link Dalmarnock and Shawfield. Building work has also started on the £10m Eastgate office block near Bridgeton Cross.

Then there's the £1.1m of improvements to Bridgeton Cross, the £250,000 restoration at Calton Burial Grounds and the £375,000 spent on the Tullis Street Memorial Gardens.

There are also moves to build a new police HQ in the East End.