Exhibit A
DT Letters
SIR – Sir Tim Lankester misconceives the case for infrastructure developments: some may bring a commercial return, but many are justified by the wider benefits that they bring.
Many early railways did not bring a commercial return but brought huge public benefit. Perhaps the best example of this was the Union Pacific, which went bankrupt but was crucial in opening up middle America in the 19th century. It continued to serve the country under new financial arrangements.
HS2 may seem marginal, but it will greatly strengthen a key transport corridor, allowing the West Coast Main Line to concentrate on the needs of middle-distance and freight traffic.
Mike Keatinge
Sherborne, Dorset
Exhibit B
Mises
A quote from the article at the link:-
"...
In the end, the railroads constituted a huge transfer of wealth from taxpayers, Indians, Mexicans, and more efficient enterprises who found themselves competing with these subsidized behemoths.
The UP went bust.
Same old, same old.
