The latest comments from HS2 chair, Allan Cooke, show a bizarre lack of knowledge of the railway system from the people pushing the £55.6 bn HS2 project.

Stop HS2 chair, Penny Gaines, responded to the latest HS2 Ltd press release, which claims football fans will benefit from HS2.  She said

“HS2 Ltd are clearly hoping to bamboozle ordinary football fans and making claims that are not based on the real railway network.  When I lived in Watford, close enough to the stadium that I could hear the cheering when they scored, I used to regularly travel from Watford to Wembley.

“There are already direct services from Watford to Wembley Central taking about 25 minutes on the London Overground, and the number of possible services on this line will not be affected at all whether HS2 is built or consigned to the dustbin.

“What’s more we’ve previously been told by Philip Hammond that a factory worker from Manchester might never be able to afford the fares on HS2.  Far from scoring with HS2, football fans should show it the red card and join our call for HS2 to be cancelled.”