Forecasts from EY suggest HS2 could be worth £40bn to the UK economy with the boost coming chiefly from the construction sector as new homes and office buildings are built in the communities surrounding new stations. Three key hubs around the Birmingham, London and Manchester stations will generate £1bn every year until the project is scheduled for completion in 2035, according to the analysis.

Maybe the above figures will make anyone who’s bothered about the unemployed think twice before voting for the Green Party who would stop HS2 in its tracks given half the chance.