HS2: blot on the landscape? Or the greatest missed opportunity in a generation?
What if the future of transport in Britain wasn't about electric cars and extra runways at Heathrow, but a 200-year-old technology of the past?
That's the argument made by Gareth Dennis, the engineer, writer, policy adviser and podcaster who has made a name for himself in recent years with his clear-headed analysis of how people move around. His latest book, How the Railways Will Fix the Future: Rediscovering the Essential Brilliance of the Iron Road, lays plain how railways will not only protect the countryside, but save the planet at the same time.
We were delighted, then, when Gareth joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about the future of the railways.
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It's eye-opening, fascinating stuff. Did you know, for example, that a single high-speed rail way line can replace 10 lanes of motorway traffic? Or that the true benefit of HS2 was never about the high speed rail link itself, but instead its ability to free up other areas of the network to help improve daily life for people?
Gareth presents these and more arguments in a fascinating discussion which — we'll warn you now — will likely challenge a lot of things that you thought you knew.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Gareth Dennis
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
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