Hitting the buffers

FOR years the Mail has been sceptical about the merits of HS2. The express line will destroy vast swathes of the countryside and cause massive disruption for only paltry reductions in journey times.

Does anyone now truly believe it will be built on time and within its £56billion budget? As we report today, Cabinet ministers are demanding the ludicrously expensive vanity project is killed off. They may have a point.

No one doubts Britain’s railways face dire problems: spiralling fares, chronic overcrowding, endless cancellations… little wonder long-suffering commuters despair.

When Labour launched the super-train idea in 2009, it appeared attractive. But the growth of wi-fi means shorter travel times are less important because passengers can work more easily on trains.

Then there is the price. Experts believe the final total will be £104billion – the most costly railway in the world. Before even the first sod is turned, ministers will pour in up to £6billion a year – equal to the entire network’s annual repair bill.

Our cities are prospering but they are all crying out for new urban infrastructure to boost performance. Passengers are sick of extortionate prices for shoddy services. Wouldn’t it make sense to fund unglamorous – but genuinely transformative – schemes that have been mothballed to pay for a trophy asset of dubious virtue? This would be a potential Tory vote-winner.

HS2 no longer makes sense politically or economically. It is difficult to escape the feeling it is about to hit the buffers. WHEN we asked readers at Christmas to enlist as NHS volunteers to comfort the sick and injured, you responded magnificently. More than 32,500 pledged precious time to join the Hospital Helpforce. Now a study finds that volunteers improve patients’ lives enormously, preventing malnutrition, easing loneliness and hastening recovery. Each volunteer will gain satisfaction knowing they make a world of difference to people at their most vulnerable. Once again, we salute you!