Councillor Dave Merrett’s letter of February 15 mentions new economic development opportunities of HS2, although does not mention specifics.
Supposing HS2 achieves all that its proponents claim, it does seem to me that:
a) Going between York and London via Birmingham is a bit circuitous – some 250 miles compared with 188 on ECML
b) Presumably HS2 will require premium fares to offset the huge cost and therefore may be attractive only to those on expenses
c) Any transfer of passengers from the East Coast main line will impact on the revenue for that route
d) Would HS2 frequency match the number of trains on the East Coast main line?
Given that there seems to be otherwise unresolvable capacity problems between London and Birmingham, it may be necessary to have a new line between the first and second cities, but beyond that is more questionable I am unlikely to see a resolution in my lifetime.
Derek Chapplow, Middlethorpe Grove, York.
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