A 2015 BBC article began, "Speakers' Corner in London is well known as the home of free speech, where anyone can get on their soapbox and make their voice heard. Whether anyone will listen is of course another matter."

In issue after issue of Far North Express, and in meeting after meeting with Transport Scotland and various MSPs, we patiently point out that Scottish Government 'policy' (use of inverted commas here is no accident) does not chime with Scottish Government action.

With a quick flick through past issues we find that the Head of Sponsorship at Network Rail "...was indeed the bringer of good news as he was able to announce confirmation that detailed planning work for the new passing loop near Inverness has begun, with it being brought into use in 2024." with this comment on a later page, "That it will have taken nearly 20 years to get this capacity improvement made is highly regrettable." And in the same article, "Both First Ministers since 2008 have said, 'Railways must compete with roads'." Those were written in 2022. [A decision about the installation of the Delmore Loop has been postponed again until the end of March this year, with the responsibility being placed on Network Rail for not having completed the detailed planning work.]

A year later we find, "Here we are 18 years since campaigning began and four years since the basic decision was made, and the latest news is that Network Rail is still working up an outline design and costs for the loop which will be submitted to Transport Scotland in the middle of the year [2023] for authority and funding for construction."

Those quotes concern 'our' railway, the FNL, but in the May 2023 issue of FNE we are talking as usual about how dualling the A9 seems to overshadow all talk of vital rail improvements. As I write this there is still absolutely no definite news about the Highland Main Line, other than the fact that it needs to be electrified soon.

Perhaps it's very convenient for the government to require a "robust business case" for infrastructure projects. These can be happily breached by introducing spurious justifications such as the "Driver Frustration Benefit" element with a value of £429m, 23% of the total budgeted cost of A9 dualling in 2016, when it's politically convenient - i.e. not if it's for rail projects.

It's hardly surprising that we can relate to the individuals haranguing uninterested passers-by from their Hyde Park Corner soapboxes. Rail improvement in the Highlands is being completely drowned out by those who shout louder than we can.

We will continue to make our case with determination, politeness and accuracy.