Letter: High speed strain

AS EMMA Crane noted (Platform, 23 December), there are legitimate concerns over the quality of the high-speed rail service Scotland would receive from the coalition’s HS2 project.

These concerns centre on journey times, eight years of disruption at Euston and whether there would be a case for such a service, should improved signalling be provided on the west coast mainline.

What Ms Crane did not touch on is the question of payment for the HS2 connection from Leeds and Manchester to the Border. It appears to be accepted that Scotland itself would fund the link from the Border to Glasgow and Edinburgh. There must, however, be serious doubts as to the readiness of the English side to contribute any payment towards the 100-plus miles from Leeds and Manchester to the Border. This would be approximately 25 per cent of the total route between London and the two Scottish cities.

In a pre-Christmas radio interview, the Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell suggested that the future of the Union will be the next big domestic political issue. How will this play out with HS2?

Marilyn Fletcher

Chiltern Manor Park

Great Missenden

Buckinghamshire