As an author of books about railways, I’m often asked questions about the new HS2 by people who are trying to make up their mind whether to support the project. Although I am broadly in support of the new line, sometimes it is difficult to mount a defence. For example, new figures from the Office of Rail Regulation show that each Virgin train on the West Coast Main Line – which is claimed to be so full that HS2 is urgently needed – carries an average of just 166.3 passengers. Given that the capacity of an 11-coach Virgin Pendolino is 589 seats, there seems to be an awful lot of capacity going spare!
About The Author
Michael Williams
Michael Williams is the best-selling author of On the Slow Train, On the Slow Train Again, Steaming to Victory and The Trains Now Departed.