Scottish business and industry could receive a huge boost from the construction of HS2 high-speed rail, according to the Infrastructure Secretary.

Keith Brown was speaking as a conference in Edinburgh set out more than £10 billion worth of contracts available when work gets under way in 2017.

The first phase of the project will see journey times between London and Birmingham reduced before a second phase splits the high-speed line in two, taking it towards both Manchester and Leeds.

Politicians in Scotland hope the line will eventually be brought north of the border to reduce the journey time from Glasgow or Edinburgh to London to about three hours.

Earlier this year reports suggested the link would not be extended to Scotland but ministers insisted a decision has yet to be made.

A study commissioned by Transport Scotland and the UK Department for Transport on potential route options to Scotland is expected at the end of this year.

Mr Brown said: "Scotland has a reputation for excelling in the delivery of major infrastructure projects and I want to see our businesses and workforce realise the full benefits that HS2 can bring to Scotland.

"Not only are the effective transport connections that a high-speed rail network entails vital in ensuring that our businesses are able to compete and grow, but Scotland's world-class supply chain can also play a key role in delivering this project, building skills, capability and jobs for the next generation.

"Scotland has the skill set and the experience to deliver high-speed rail and I am committed to seeing our industry and engineers at the heart of a high-speed rail network built in Scotland to serve Scotland."

Bryan Buchan, chief executive of Scottish Engineering, said: "Scotland's strong engineering base, particularly the specialist metal machining sector, puts a large number of Scottish companies in a position to contribute to the supply chain for HS2."

HS2 spokesman David Meechan said: "HS2 Ltd submitted a draft report of our broad options study on capacity and journey time improvements from HS2 phase two to Edinburgh and Glasgow in December 2014.

"The report was jointly commissioned by the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland, and work continues to explore options to optimise benefits of HS2 for Scotland. They will publish the final report in due course.

"The UK Government and the Scottish Government are working closely together to optimise the benefits to Scotland of HS2. They will make an announcement on next steps as soon as possible.

"Scotland will directly benefit from the high-speed services from when it first opens."