We are told to not use our cars...we look to build a new clean railway to move our aging infrastructure forwards and we still can't win. That coupled to jobs, and an economic boost we will need more than ever now just stand aside and let progress happen.

Ancient forests are a living memory of a time when the Earth's ecology was much more healthy than it is nowadays. A living memory that is vital for any possibility of a recovery back to full health.

Sorry, Chris, I don't agree. High speed rail has decimated the airline market along key routes in Europe (London - Paris, Paris - Brussels - Amsterdam, Madrid - Barcelona). HS2 could do the same to many internal UK flights, and to those between the North of Britain and the near continent. Another environmental benefit is that as long-distance passenger traffic moves to the high speed network, more slots for local passenger trains and long-distance freight trains will open up on existing railways, thus removing lorries and single-occupancy cars (short-distance commuters) from the roads. Now do I think that HS2 should be built at any cost? Absolutely not. There needs to be a review both of the exponentially growing financial cost to the tax payer and, just as importantly, the local environmental impact (make sure the promised green tunnels are actually put in; consider whether the route has to go through quite so many ancient woodlands when a vast amount of unprofitable farmland that is essentially kept afloat by EU subsidies is about to become vacant; I would also require in law that both HS2 Ltd and the eventual train operator has to pay a percentage of their profits towards reforestation / rewilding projects in the UK. The local environmental picture doesn't look pretty, but the bigger picture is that more and more of us and our stuff are travelling more frequently, and the infrastructure has to expand to cope with that. This is a necessity. If there's no HS2, there will have to be something of equal scope and capacity. Far better, in my view, that we invest in low carbon public transport (not just HS2 in a vacuum, but everything, from reopening closed railways, to building more urban metro systems, to massively expanding the frequency and coverage of local bus services), than splashing out on yet more motorways and airports. And regarding high-speed rail, HS2 doesn't go far enough; it's too southern, and too English. We need an HS3, HS4, HS5... to serve all of our nations and regions. And we need a physical connection between the line that goes to France (HS1) and the rest of the national network. I'll probably get a load of grief for this, but I do feel that my side of the argument is heard, and welcome any constructive criticism explaining why the points I've made are wrong.

Go Chris 👊

Donated today and good luck Chis - I wrote to Boris saying we don't need this 'vanity' project and any funds available should be put towards the upgrading of all existing infra structure.

Packam trying to get in the way again . But that is his "job" , how he makes money

Great work and though it wont be easy I know you will do it *

We need more people like you 📢📢📢 keep shouting