It was announced this week that the extension of high speed rail north from London will go ahead and not be part of a spending reduction. The statement was that building would begin in 2015 to Birmingham and then be extended to Manchester and Leeds. The route to Scotland that could go via Preston was not mentioned and no doubt there will be debate about whether to build a west coast or east coast line. As expected every part of the route is subject to objections, in particular the route through the Chilterns. Also whether to build a loop to Heathrow or a spur is being discussed, the loop allowing through trains.
A high speed rail link can bring major advantages to the areas it touches and the plan of completing the route to Manchester by 2027 seems too late. Also the benefit of a Heathrow loop to allow fast travel from the north to Heathrow is vital to reduce the need for extra runways in the south.