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.
Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify
Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible
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
-
An utterly charming island home in Scotland with gardens so beautiful they made the cover of Country LifeAn Cala on the Isle of Seil has a fascinating history that is only enhanced by its amazing setting.
-
The legacy od Dad's ArmyKate Green takes a look at Dad’s Army, the iconic BBC sitcom written by David Croft and Jimmy Perry.
-
Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Saving swifts, naked protests and the bird that nested in my hairThe campaigner and writer Hannah Bourne-Taylor joins the Country Life Podcast.
-
Poppy Okotcha: The model-turned-gardener who swapped the catwalk for the vegetable patchThe ecological home grower and community gardener Poppy Okotcha joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.
-
Monty Don's dog, The King's new rose and the 'perfect' garden: What not to miss at the Chelsea Flower Show 2025Country Life's gardens editor Tiffany Daneff shares her favourite flowers, gardens, clever ideas and nicest surprises from the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show.
-
Crossing the Alps on horseback and gap years in Mongolia, with Louis D HallThe writer and adventurer Louis D Hall joins the Country Life podcast to talk about his latest book, In Green, as well as his charity the Big Hoof.
-
George Monbiot: 'Farmers need stability and security... Instead, they're contending with chaos'The writer, journalist and campaigner George Monbiot joins the Country Life podcast.
-
Vintage tractors and memories of summers past, with Oliver GodfreyOliver Godfrey, head of machinery at Cheffins, joins the Country Life podcast to talk about the joys of vintage tractors
-
How an app can make you fall in love with nature, with Melissa HarrisonThe novelist, children's author and nature writer Melissa Harrison joins the podcast to talk about her love of the natural world and her new app, Encounter.
-
Chloe Dalton: The woman who swapped top-level geopolitics to rescue a baby hareAs an expert foreign policy adviser, Chloe Dalton's life revolved around international travel and walking the corridors of power. Then a chance encounter while out on a walk changed her life forever.
