HS2: why we need it

SIR – Liam Halligan (Business, November 17) calls for better commuter services into London and other cities instead of HS2, but misses the point that this is what HS2 enables.

The existing railways cannot run more commuter, local and interurban services because route capacity has been given over to fast non-stop trains. These will transfer to HS2 and be replaced by trains that do stop at intermediate stations. Services will be radically improved at locations such as Watford, Milton Keynes, Northampton and Rugby, where, far from trains being “on average less than half full”, commuters experience some of the worst crowding in the country.

Internet connectivity has not rendered HS2 obsolete; in fact, rail demand has grown in parallel with the development of the internet and mobile communications. One reason may be that the ability to work on the move reduces the opportunity cost of the journey, so we make more journeys instead of packing several meetings into one day, as we used to.

However you cut it, the problem is that there are not enough trains to meet demand – and the solution is additional tracks on key routes. The benefits are greatest if the new tracks are built for high speed, reducing journey times and increasing capacity. Nothing else is likely to offer better value for money. The one thing a railway between our biggest cities will never be is a “white elephant”.

William Barter

Towcester, Northamptonshire