More to worry about on HS2

THE HS2 controversy continues in the M.E.N. as elsewhere. This month two new factors have come into play.

In the first place we have suffered floods of near-biblical proportions. It is obvious that these will recur and worsen.

A train journey to Stafford and a coach trip to Llandudno have just brought this home to me. Fields like lakes, blocked roads and stalled cars conveyed the reality of climate change forcefully.

In the second place the China Railway Construction Corporation has offered to complete HS2 15 years earlier than the scheduled date of 2040 and at a fraction of the cost, with an increased speed from 250 to 260 km per hour thrown in.

There are major flaws. Will the track be vulnerable? If the foundations and tracks are repeatedly soaked, the ground will become a swamp. And would trains be able to stay on the tracks in high winds? Protective walls lining the tracks would be essential.

Can the Chinese be sure that they can deliver? Coronavirus has already affected their economy. What happens if the next modern plague is highly infectious and dangerous to life?

The HS2 could end up as a halffinished, half-submerged monument to vanity and trying to buy votes. As we are entering a new and harsher world with reduced travel and movement of goods, it would probably not pay for itself anyway.

In view of the uncertainty of the future we should suspend all longterm projects, particularly luxury ones.

The HS2 plan should alert us to the dangers of rashly adopted projects.

Margaret Brown, Burslem