Like the villagers in the 1953 Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt, the British are supposed to love their railways. Until, that is, someone wants to build one passing a mile or two from their home, in which case they are quickly aroused into a state of fury about the effect on their house prices. Never mind Swampy, new road schemes can be far more popular with homeowners than a proposed high-speed railway. There has been such bitter opposition to High Speed Two (HS2) – the proposed express line from Euston to Birmingham, Manchester and the North – that the Government last month unveiled an Exceptional Hardship Scheme for owners of properties blighted by the plans. |
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