"It does not make sense to commit now to a very expensive national electrification programme which is not justified in an economic and business sense" I expect that the same words were used by the UK Civil Service "Establishment" when anyone suggested that it would be better to invest in the nations infrastructure, rather than to permit a long term run on hiking the value of house prices through the banking system having access to all the funds that could have been used to invest.

As a nation, we desperately need a new attitude of mind at the top of our "Establishment". It is a truism that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. This report is a complete vindication of that. On that basis, I dare to suggest that as a nation we urgently need to completely clear out, right across the board, the top three or four layers of the "Establishment" and start again with completely new people from a non-government (Local or National), business environment embedded into science and engineering.

Chris Coles, Medstead, Alton, United Kingdom

Whoever came up with that figure of £800,000 per mle for electrification should be fired - immediately.

A team of good engineers with the right leadership, given the goal of electrification of all UK rail lines to a standard system, would do it for far less.

It's the British Civil Sevice which is at fault here. It's officials are shortsighted, technically ignorant, unable to negotiate effectively with commercial companies and fearful of change. Producing outrageous costs for a project is it's traditional way of blocking anything it fears.

Peter Lloyd, BLACKER HILL, South Yorkshire

When did common sense ever have anything to do with this Governments decisions ?

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,

I don't think there could be any more obvious a demonstration that this government, like much of this backward-looking, shortsighted country, is stuck in the rut of 'economic growth before anything'. How much more 'justification' than climate change do they need before they change their frankly ignorant policies? There will BE no economic or business sense if the planet dies.

I know Switzerland well, and there every last km of even rural branchlines is electrified and carries up-to-date, efficient mass transit trains - which are well used. It is particularly disappointing to see a supposedly left of centre administration refusing to provide much-needed social goods that are recognised for what they are everywhere else, on the grounds that they won't suit the business community. Likewise with new high speed lines - what do British governments have against railways? One utterly disillusioned British 'citizen'.

Ian Stock, Coggeshall, Essex

The government's failure to electrify more railway lines and instead to use diesel will be harmful to health. Tiny diesel particulates pass deep into the lungs where they cause damage. This can lead to asthma and other respiratory illnesses. It may have saved the Dept of Transport some money but it will cost the NHS more..

ann wills, Ruislip, England

What is this government like? Can't it get even a small thing like this right? O dear!

D Case, Newquay,

The prototype Diesel engine ran on peanut oil. Diesel engines can run on bio-diesel or with some modification plain vegetable oil. It could well be that if the source of the fuel were changed in the future these engines would be both cheaper to run than electric engines and put less net carbon into the atmosphere in the long run.

rich, oxfordshire, uk

Just travelled by train from Vladivostock to Moscow, Berlin, and Paris.
The whole route is electrified - some 13,500 kilometers, if countries like Russia can electrify a main line across Siberia, it seems inconceivable that Britain can't.
While the Russian equipment would not win any beauty contests it clearly works, and works well.
The trend of oil prices is ever upward, how long before it does make business sense? Surely ways to electrify more cheaply should be being sought.

M Peakman, Seoul, South Korea