IN all of the current discussions and comments in relation to the proposed high speed rail links, I have yet to see any discussion of the following items.

How far will the train have travelled, and how long will it take, from the departure station, to reach the estimated 225 miles per hour?

How long will it take, and how far from the destination, will it begin to slow down sufficiently to bring it to rest at the destination station?

How many miles will the train be able to cover at 225 miles per hour between each of the stretches of track between the named stations? For instance, the distance between Crewe and Manchester is approximately 35 miles, so there cannot be much of the journey through Tatton at the speed mentioned.

The journey time between London to Manchester is quoted as one hour eight minutes.

As the train presumably stops at Birmingham and Crewe the time quoted must therefore be the running time, and not the total time between London and Manchester.

It would be interesting to see the proposed timetable.

Does it really mean so much to so many people to be able to save one hour on the journey between, say Manchester and London?

Trains leaving the tracks are not unknown, and mercifully incidents are rare, but the thought of such an accident happening at such high speeds is too dreadful to contemplate.

RSM KILBY Grove Park, Knutsford