Railway reality

Of course, Andrew Adonis deserves credit for generating momentum behind the concept in 2009 when he became the 10th senior Labour politician to hold the transport brief during Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s respective administrations. If only his many predecessors, like John Prescott, had been so enlightened.

However it would perhaps more helpful if Lord Adonis considered the issue from the viewpoint of Rotherham-born Justine Greening, the current Transport Secretary, rather than sniping from the railway sidings.

When she inherited the transport portfolio last autumn, HS2 was already in a state of flux because of mounting opposition to the proposed route through the Chilterns. Ms Greening reviewed this and instigated several changes, her argument being that it is better to get the policy right at the outset rather than being forced to make major changes at a later date.

Her department is now looking at the route of the line from London to Yorkshire and the North West. It is not straight-forward – the Minister wants officials to consider what will be the best route in 20 years time to maximise usage rather than taking decisions based on today’s transport needs.

And Lord Adonis also needs to remember this: why push through legislation through the House of Lords when the plans are still uncertain? Having instigated HS2, Lord Adonis should be backing HS2 while hoping Ms Greening is given time to advance a plan that could revolutionise Britain’s transport network. What will not help if the turnover of Transport Secretaries continues at the current rate – that is the primary cause of “dither and delay” in any Whitehall ministry.