THE Government seems determined to press ahead with the HS2 white elephant. The original reason given for HS2 was to knock 20 minutes off the journey time between the Midlands and London. When that reason was not well received by the public, the proponents of HS2 discovered that the "real" reason was to tackle a lack of capacity.

The key question is whether HS2 is the best way of spending £50 billion (or possibly £80 billion). The project will take decades to complete and be a drain on the economy. It will return just over £1 for every £1 invested. That is in contrast to the Northern Hub centred on Manchester which returns £4 for every £1 invested. A West of England Rail Hub centred on Bristol could give as much return as the Northern Hub. Once HS2 is completed it will suck the life out of the north and further overheat London.

HS2 would have more credibility if it were planned to start from the north, which it is supposed to benefit, rather than from London which has already seen massive spending on Crossrail and Thameslink. But what we need is decent rail connections from the towns and cities in the north into Manchester.

It will cost the country dearly and benefit the few. I would go further however and say that the whole project should be scrapped before any more money is wasted. The type of men who want this project to go ahead, men like HS2 Ltd Chairman Sir David Higgins and his friend, HS2 Chief Executive Simon Kirby, are the fat cats who are in it for the money. Sir Higgins and Simon Kirby are mates — Higgins gave Kirby the CE job, and started him off on a £750,000 salary! That's tax payers money remember. How is this in the people's interests?

The train line won't be ready until 2026, and that's just phase 1. Phase 2 - the part that will benefit the north - won't be ready until 2032. It will be primarily used by commuters to get them from London to Birmingham 10 minutes faster than the line that is already in place. To me, this is not worth £50bn and it's not worth waiting 12 years for. HS2, if allowed to go ahead, will be a disaster and an embarrassment.

Jeff Armstrong

Bolton UKIP