Lord Berkley’s intervention is once again way off the mark. Possible alternatives to building HS2 have been tested and rejected countless times. Passengers would not thank any of us for the years of disruption and weekend closures these projects would cause, and at the end of the painful process, we would still not have addressed the Government’s fundamental goal of ‘levelling up’ the UK economy and addressing the north south divide.
Of course, other improvements to the railway network are needed. But only HS2 delivers the extra capacity, reliability and resilience that brings the economic stimulus for the North and the Midlands. It is time to get HS2 done.