Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond on Wednesday expected to strengthen an independent Scotland's relationship with the north of England and celebrate "the ties that bind the nations of these islands".

Delivering a St George's Day (England's national day) speech in the shadow of Carlisle Cathedral in northern England, Salmond stressed that a successful Scotland will become a new beacon of growth to the north, shifting the center of economic gravity of these islands and preventing the flow of power, wealth and talent flow downhill to the southeast.

He said that the Scottish government is already working with the British central government to prepare joint plans for high speed rail links between England and Scotland, according a Scottish government statement.

The Scottish government will also push forward its responsibility to make improvement to the West Coast rail line north and improve the transport connectivity between Carlisle and the southwest of Scotland, creating "a conurbation of connectivity, " Salmond added.

"The vision -- of these border lands as hubs -- requires the transport connectivity to link Scotland and the north of England more effectively together," he noted.

Since 2007, rail travel has increased by 144 percent between London and Glasgow; by 191 percent between Manchester and Scotland; and by 261 percent between Birmingham and Scotland. Demand for freight is also increasing, but line capacity is constrained, according to Salmond, who stressed the importance of timescale of Britain's high speed rail plans.

A railway line from London to Manchester and Leeds would bring 3 billion pounds (about 5 billion US dollars) benefit to Scotland, but a full High Speed Rail connection would bring 24 billion pounds and lead a major shift from air to rail, Salmond told a gathering of business people, looking forward to a future of close collaboration between an independent Scotland and the north of England.

Also on Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron issued a St George's Day plea for the people of Scotland to remain united with England in the union, noting that "no matter how great we are alone, we will always be greater together."

Cameron said the people of Scotland will go to the polls and decide whether they want to remain a part of Britain in just five months, calling on people to "prove that we can be proud of our individual nations and be committed to our union of nations."

An independence referendum on the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" was set to take place on Sept. 18, 2014 in Scotland, with about 4 million of Scotland's 5.3 million population eligible to vote in the referendum which is open to all Scottish residents aged 16 and above.