Will HS2 cut down on overcrowded trains?

READER Christopher Frances from Solihull says we need HS2 because the rush hour trains are so full (Letters). How ridiculous! All that is needed are more carriages. This would mean it would be easier to get on and off the train, making the journey more comfortable, quicker and efficient. It would also be a lot cheaper than HS2.

MARGARET ROWELL, Leeds.

HS2 will not reduce the number of travellers; it will just make the journey half an hour quicker. How would getting to London or Birmingham 30 minutes faster stimulate business and enhance the lives of everyone? Adding more coaches to existing trains is a far better solution than spending £80 billion and disrupting the lives of thousands of people, as well as the loss of so many acres of countryside.

IAN TAYLOR, Barlborough, Derbys. IF TRAINS between London and Birmingham are full, why not just run them more frequently? We don’t need to build an expensive new line, destroying homes and countryside in the process. Just use some of the money to pay for more rolling stock and staff.

ADEYEMI BANJO, London SE15.

HS2 will not carry freight and so will not, contrary to what many people think, reduce the number of lorries on our roads. It will destroy homes, agricultural and environmentally sensitive land, shattering people’s lives, hopes and dreams. This thundering great white elephant will devastate everything in its path.

JANET ORMOND, Banbury, Oxon.