Seemingly, we're going to get half the network for twice the price - with the Birmingham to London line terminating at Old Oak Common, in West London.

This reduced section is now expected to cost between £45b and £54b - but the real error was the desire for speed. With all UK cities within 200 miles of each other (Newcastle is the exception), fast trains weren't too important.

Undoubtedly, the HS2 planning was flawed in so many ways (cutting through The Chilterns never seemed right) - but the real financial consequences will be evident in the forthcoming Budget.

Al Gershwin wrote:
Seemingly, we're going to get half the network for twice the price - with the Birmingham to London line terminating at Old Oak Common, in West London.

This reduced section is now expected to cost between £45b and £54b - but the real error was the desire for speed. With all UK cities within 200 miles of each other (Newcastle is the exception), fast trains weren't too important.

Undoubtedly, the HS2 planning was flawed in so many ways (cutting through The Chilterns never seemed right) - but the real financial consequences will be evident in the forthcoming Budget.

The Tories did not think it through if they did then they gave the plans to Laurel and Hardy. For £54b, they could of reopened a lot of the Dr Beeching railway lines. I do see some of the infrastructure and miles of old the train tracks. If they did work on the old line network people in rural areas would be better connected to the bigger towns and cities especially those in Wales and the Shire counties.

An amazing British invention, exported to every dominion/country on earth - in some format.

Cars/trucks/roads and motorways have changed things.

But - isn't it interesting that the USA has so few domestic/railway lines.


The routes there transverse the country - and are used mainly for the transportation of goods.

From Florida to Washington State - near Canada.

Recently, the HS2 thinking here was flawed - ever UK city is within 2⁰0 miles of the next.