HS2 will lead to more competition on other lines with freed-up capacity and so lower fares, says the Transport Secretary.

Now, this blog has often praised Philip Hammond for taking expensive but important decisions and being a better fighter for rail infrastructure investment than many expected when his appointment was announced.

But his attempts to make the much-needed case for HS2 are flailing from extreme to extreme – he did only harm to the cause by insulting all the scheme’s opponents as unprincipled nimbys, and now will invoke only bemusement with claims that HS2 will end up leading to lower fares.

He is on safer ground talking about an increase in the number and speed of trains serving some key conurbations not directly served by HS2, such as Milton Keynes.

But passengers know they are about to face years of painful fare increases, even on routes where any improvements will take years to materialise. Talking up the potential that their fares may drop by some miniscule amount in some year far in the future invites only ridicule, and seriously misreads the history of rail funding and charging over recent years.