Regarding recent correspondence around the merits of building the HS2 rail line from Birmingham to Manchester, Leeds and beyond, I would like to add some comments.

It is true that the line is very expensive and the money could be spent on a myriad of other projects with local benefit.

It is also correct that the time saved in travelling from London to Manchester or Crewe, though significant, is hardly a reason for this enormous investment in this infrastructure and the associated disturbance to our environment during its construction.

What needs to be realised is that it is the country as a whole that will benefit and parts of rural England will see mostly inconvenience and little advantage. One area that will profit from the line is our tourism industry.

London attracts many visitors each year for America and the East, keen to spend their wealth while enjoying our heritage and scenery.

To tempt these holidaymakers from our capital to visit other tourist destinations such as Chester, York and Edinburgh, reaching them must be made as easy as possible, while avoiding short haul plane journeys for environmental reasons.

High-speed trains will do this and bring in the revenue that will help to keep taxes down, provide much needed employment and provide funding for the sick, frail and disadvantaged.

Another gain from building this controversial improvement to our infrastructure is the increase in the capacity on the West Coast Mainline.

If we are to get more people out of cars, move freight from road to rail and reduce our use of short haul flights, measures that are all needed to combat climate change, more capacity on our rail network will be needed by 2030.

Dr Peter Hirst Rushton Drive Middlewich