Good news!
If this motley crew are against High Speed Rail then Adonis must be right!
UPDATE: Captain Deltic glooms.
Motley crew they may be, but by focusing on high speed we are handing them rods for mass back beating. Ditto with the emphasis on CO2 reduction.
There is no need for a high speed line between London and Birmingham. The journey time reductions will not pay for the return on the investment. And emissions are a playground for sophisters with Excel.
There is a need for more capacity between London and the West Midlands. And when you are building a new line to relieve the WCML, well in the 21st Century standard new main lines run at 200 mile/h.
This week's over-the-top coverage in the Grauniad could yet backfire.
UPDATE: This just in from the Major...
You would expect a motley crew of road and air pressure groups and operators to have a go at Adonis' high-speed piece.
It's worth considering what rail's reaction would be if the boot was on the other foot.
There might be a letter from the Bearded One promising the earth but for the rest of the rail industry and its so-called lobby groups I expect we'd hear nothing.
For all this, the chap from Newcastle Airport does have a point.
Air still holds advantages for those travelling cross-country.
Newcastle-Exeter - quicker by rail or air?
So what is the railway doing to improve cross country journey times?
Nothing, apart from continuing with its policy of CrossCountry trains waiting time at York, Leeds, Sheffield (up to 10 minutes!), Derby, Birmingham etc etc.
The railway proved it can run on time if it inserts enough padding in the timetable - now it needs to get on with cutting journey times and still running on time: that's where the real skill lies!
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