HS2 the high speed rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds looks like it will be approved next week. As usual the rest of the UK will be waiting for investment in London rail to peak before work begins. In reality this is a continuation of construction investment in infrastructure that seems will continue into the far distant future.
After HS2 is complete which is in about 15 years there will no doubt be links to Scotland to be considered. Although extending the line to Newcastle along the east coast is reaching into less densely populated areas and it might not have the traffic to make it worthwhile.
The smaller cities to the west such as Bristol, Plymouth, Cardiff would never justify such expenditure and Bristol already has a very fast straight line to London.
In some ways it could be said a single line from London to Birmingham then Manchester and Leeds would be the most densely used. Yet the planned spur bringing Sheffield, Nottingham and Derby into the route gives it wider reach.
The route to Scotland via Preston which has always been a major line looks like it might be downgraded by remaining a ‘classic’ line which is unfortunate as our area would welcome such a line. In particular the line to Heathrow would be of benefit cutting out flying from Manchester for connections. It would also be expected that being able to reach here or London in just over an hour could transform what people consider a day trip.