There were no budget overruns on the high speed raillink. Built on schedule and on budget.

William Turvill, Bexley, UK

This is NOT rocket or aeroplane science.
Any fool can see the environmental advantage of rail over air or road
Is the government criminally plain stupid or what?
The government subsidises the airlines and encourages road use whilst not investing in the railways.
England is the POOR MAN of Europe

Peter Goddard, Le Rouret, France, EU

The High speed rail system to the North of England and Scotland depends on a national resource that is in desparately short supply. DRIVE.
Unfortnately the Mandarinate in Whitehall have developed delay and prevaication to a fine art. Even upgrading an important road takes forever. Forget it!

W D Toulman, WALKINGTON, UK

There need be only a single high speed north to south link. Edinburgh and Galsgow could be served by spurs or loops.

the main supwer fast line would be a spine. This woudl hugely reduce costs.

Michael Corby, London, UK

I would disagree that the South-east is the 'engine of the UK economy'. It might be the counting-house, front office, administrative head office, call it what else you like, But engine? It never was, and still isn't! Most of the talking might be done there.....

S. Barraclough, Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire

Not only does HS1 terminate in a St Pancras dead end, but a hugely expensive SnailRail project is planned to link Heathrow with the City of London.
Scrap SnailRail and extend HS1 to Reading and Watford Junction allowing Eurostars to syphon off air passengers and Hitachi Javelins the HS commuters.

Peter Hooper, Windsor, UK

Most of us would just settle for trains! I think comfortable trains, un-confrontational and on-time trains are an idea. How about novelty trains? I would love to be borne away by the Mallard or Coronation Scot (and they could use our indigenous and plentiful fuel supply to power them).

Malcolm Turner, Alsager, England

Rather than a single overblown, overbudget "high-speed" line for the benefit of a wealthy elite and scots MPs, we should spend the money improving the existing lines, quadrupling tracks and re-opening lines closed by Beeching to provide reliable and timely trains for all of us.

Phil, Lancaster, UK

The case for high speed trains for inter-city travel is even stronger than you say.
Such travel in France is virtually carbon-free, replacing aircraft or cars with the TGV powered by zero carbon nuclear generated electricity.

stephen bull, fontes, france

I am waiting for proof of global warming, which I accept, caused by human production of CO2, 99.% of which is natural. Any takers? Surely this should be easy enough with out usin ad hoc unproven theories and models that only recently have been proved deficient by IPPC researchers.

M. Cawdery, Portadown, Co. UK, EU.

To Adrian, London - it is a canard to say our population density is 240 persons/km2 - strip out Scotland and Wales from the picture and the density rises to 383 persons/km2! England is overcrowded and congested to Hell!

Richard, Worcester, England

About the "crowded island" reference: Population density of Germany: 220 persons / km2. Population density of the UK: 240 persons / km2. So, there is not that much difference.

Adrian, London, UK

Modal shift from air to high speed train reduces CO2. It frees up freight capacity on the classic railways. More rail freight is very fuel efficient and it eases road congestion .

Then there's peak oil. Fast rail links will replace travel modes like flying and trucking dependant on expensive oil.

David Ede, Edinburgh, Scotland

I don't think people would mindso much the higher taxes they are paying if they saw it going into infrastruture improvements such as a high speed rail network as you suggest. The problem is a lack of vision, as you rightly point out. If only people could see something for the taxes they pay!!!!!

Rob, Paris, France