A lack of respect for county’s residents

There are already two motorways and three rail routes between London and Birmingham, being Euston to New Street, Marylebone to Moor Street/Snow Hill and Paddington to New Street via HST and Cross Country Voyager with a change at Reading but still pretty quick.

If speed was the only consideration, all passengers would travel via Euston, Rugby and New Street; but that isn’t the case, otherwise Chiltern Trains wouldn’t be increasing the density of their 90 minute service from Marylebone via Leamington Spa to Moor Street.

I must say that I did enjoy the letter you published from Nigel Briggs and Geoff Coller, (Postbag, last week), which set me wondering whether their proposed use of HS2 entailed going to London to ride it to Birmingham, or to Birmingham to ride to London! It sounded like a rather long and very expensive journey either way.

Poking fun aside, the taxpaying public will be in for the biggest caning for a long time, with a project that is bound to cost twice as much as advertised, with receipts less than half those headlined.

It doesn’t add up in any language.

Cost is a larger factor than speed to the majority of passengers, as the operators of HS2 would find out, the whole project rapidly becoming the widely forecast ‘white elephant’ that is its destiny if proceeded with, resulting in the abandonment of the proposed extensions northwards, yet leaving Warwickshire blighted forever.

The stance of Kenilworth and Southam MP Jeremy Wright is rapidly proving to be disappointing, as he hedges his position between his appointment as a Government whip and as our representative in Parliament. His representation of the feelings of his constituents must transcend all other considerations at such times, as is being displayed by the admirable position being taken by the Warwick and Leamington MP, Chris White, who deserves every plaudit for his solid opposition to the scheme.

Above all else however, there is a great sense of dismay at the total lack of respect towards those who reside in and whose predecessors have created, this patchwork landscape of market towns, villages, farms and features of distinction over the centuries in Warwickshire and the other affected counties.

We must all hope that common sense ultimately prevails and that the taxpayers’ funds are put to a more universally beneficial use. - Robert Sherriff, Masters Orchard, Southam.