BOTH Julian Cole and Mark Gladwin (letters March 25) seem to assume that there are no plans to improve the rail infrastructure in the north of England and all investment will go into the HS2 Project.

This is not the case because the upgrading of the main Transpennine route including electrification is included in the Network Rail programme over the next five years. The same process will be happening over the East Midlands route to complete the electrification between St Pancras and Sheffield with possible extension to Doncaster.

It should be understood that the HS2 Project will be phased over many years and the argument that is being made is that it will be needed to provide capacity that will required once it is completed.

David Randon, Blue Slates Close, Wheldrake, York.