Last week's poll: the return of HS2

But what effect will the project, with an estimated cost of £55.7bn, have on the UK economy? The five options presented in last week’s poll offered two positive and two negative choices, and the Department for Transport might be a little surprised at the outcome given the composition of The Engineer’s readership.

Let’s start with the positives, namely the options suggesting HS2 will boost industry and commerce in the North, and that it will help certain parts of the supply chain. The 43 per cent who chose these options can be broken down to 25 per cent and 18 per cent respectively, leaving us with the remaining 57 per cent to ponder. Of these, 34 per cent thought that HS2 would be a drag on the economy, and 18 per cent agreed that the high-speed line would have no appreciable effect. Five per cent went for the None of Above option.