QUENTIN MACDONALD and others have produced the ideal, and probably cheaper and greener, solution to the proposed new north-south rail link, but will it be considered by the Government? I think not.

HS2 is purely a gravy train for political action, and nothing to do with actually making public transport more available to all.

Billions of pounds to cut a few minutes off the journey to London from selected cities with no investment in the rail infrastructure to get rural travellers to the nominated stations in the first place.

Keep up the good work, Quentin. You will have lots of support from normal rail users, I am sure.

Phill Thomas, Brecksfields, Skelton, York