.If this were the case, why were all the lines going to London? Most major cities already have a reasonable connection to the capital but appalling connections to each other. Consider Northallerton to London: 233 miles in two hours and 19 minutes. But Hull to Liverpool – only 144 miles – takes two hours and 36 minutes. Were passengers from Leeds to Manchester expected to change in Birmingham? Let us abolish HS2 and build fast connecting lines between cities outside the South East. C W Johnson Northallerton, North Yorkshire SIR – I live in a small village that lies on the HS2 route as it approaches Birmingham. My dislike of the project has turned to contempt as a result of the environmental destruction and the building of a viaduct that crosses the edge of the village some 100ft above a road and the existing railway station.The only way to make something out of this disgraceful waste of money is to turn the HS2 line into one used exclusively for freight. That would free up capacity on the West Coast Main Line, remove the need for building expensive stations and make good use of the areas in Birmingham and Old Oak Common where the line terminates. Henry V Holleran Balsall Common, Warwickshire SIR – Living in the Midlands, I've seen the destruction caused by HS2 – alongside chaos and misery for residents and an ever-shortening list of benefits. People living between Birmingham and Manchester and beyond may be in for a lucky escape. Eddie Wright Rugby, Warwickshire SIR – As a retired civil engineer, having been involved in large projects around the world, I believe that the cancellation of HS2 would be disastrous. Our construction industry has very competent contractors and designers. It seems we have a confused and incompetent client – the Government – and inexperienced project managers who are simply not up to the job. Har){kind=link}
Plus: the fate of Clandon Park; made late by Welsh speed limits; a problem with modern novels; junior doctor pay; and clinking at Versailles
SIR – Those who think that HS2 was about levelling-up are sadly deluded (“Axe looms over HS2 as costs set to soar by £8bn”, report, September 24).If this were the case, why were all the lines going to London? Most major cities already have a reasonable connection to the capital but appalling connections to each other. Consider Northallerton to London: 233 miles in two hours and 19 minutes. But Hull to Liverpool – only 144 miles – takes two hours and 36 minutes. Were passengers from Leeds to Manchester expected to change in Birmingham? Let us abolish HS2 and build fast connecting lines between cities outside the South East. C W JohnsonNorthallerton, North Yorkshire
SIR – I live in a small village that lies on the HS2 route as it approaches Birmingham. My dislike of the project has turned to contempt as a result of the environmental destruction and the building of a viaduct that crosses the edge of the village some 100ft above a road and the existing railway station.The only way to make something out of this disgraceful waste of money is to turn the HS2 line into one used exclusively for freight. That would free up capacity on the West Coast Main Line, remove the need for building expensive stations and make good use of the areas in Birmingham and Old Oak Common where the line terminates.Henry V HolleranBalsall Common, Warwickshire
SIR – Living in the Midlands, I’ve seen the destruction caused by HS2 – alongside chaos and misery for residents and an ever-shortening list of benefits. People living between Birmingham and Manchester and beyond may be in for a lucky escape.Eddie WrightRugby, Warwickshire
SIR – As a retired civil engineer, having been involved in large projects around the world, I believe that the cancellation of HS2 would be disastrous. Our construction industry has very competent contractors and designers. It seems we have a confused and incompetent client – the Government – and inexperienced project managers who are simply not up to the job. Hard-nosed contractors can run rings around a client’s staff when controlling project costs.Cancelling HS2 is wrong and will waste billions. The project needs a serious review to ensure that costs are properly understood and the right control measures are in place to bring the project to an acceptable conclusion.This may include delaying certain sections, but not full cancellation.Derek GodfreyHolt, Norfolk