National productivity and a robust rail system go hand in hand

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The future HS2 terminal in Birmingham: it is rarely possible at the moment to move goods and people across the nation quickly and reliably to an agreed timetable without delays and stoppages (Getty)

I was in complete agreement with your leader about HS2. However, what very rarely gets mentioned in these discussions is the effect our ancient transport infrastructure has on our national productivity, which nearly always scores lower than that of our competitors.

It is rarely possible at the moment to move goods and people across the nation quickly and reliably to an agreed timetable without delays and stoppages. HS2 would at least be a start in putting this right. As you mentioned, Japan and France have for some years had a more or less comprehensive high-speed network to all major towns and cities. Most other European nations, many rather poorer than us, are working hard to catch up.

It is not as if we have a particularly efficient existing rail network. There seems to have been no consideration given, for example, to upgrading it to take double-height carriages and trucks, which are ubiquitous in Europe and in North America. Such an upgrade would surely increase the productive capacity of our existing system by a substantial amount. This, by the way, should not be an alternative. We need both.