Another take on HS2, people were sacked because they weren’t prepared to falsify the real costs.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002336f

But it may be reinstated, the Labour Mayors in the North West have collared Starmer about it being finished up to their patch.
I thought he was all about saving money.

Difference is in the vlog they said extend it using private enterprise not the government.

They want to make their minds up, busy trying to renationalise the Railways ( fine by me) but using ‘private enterprise’…..The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand’s doing…no surprise there then

it was a railway built close to existing ones anyway and only of use to part of the population anyway. opening up new lines closed quickly by beeching would have helped more and at a smaller cost but would only get local publicity. it cannot be a co incidence that lines closed in the 60,s were left intact until a few years back then suddenly get built on making re opening more or less impossible.

The thing that hacks me off is every time HS2 is mentioned reporters say an upgraded Manchester to Birmingham link is essential and 'the North' is all for it. Nobody north and east of Leeds gives a toss about it.

think there are two different routes now between those cities and a possible third after crewe. how many bloody altenatives do they want. Manchester to sheffield only has one because the brains shut the fast direct one via a new woodhead tunnel to keep open a much slower indirect one. you know HS2 makes sense.

The fact that Manchester is not on the West Coast mainline has always amazed me.

There was another reason

It currently is planned to start at Old Oak Common whereas it was Euston. Will this stretch be resurrected at enormous cost?
Guess who is the MP for Euston?...................................Starmer!

Would it be nice if they spread the Money across the country to benefit everyone instead off splashing it on vanity projects.

Guess what, it has just been announced by the Transport Minister that it is going to be connected to Euston. No one knows the cost or how it will be financed. The current Old Oak Common to Birmingham is said to be £66bn so what the total cost will be in total is anyones guess.I have just googled the current rail distance from London to Birmingham and its 101 miles so the cost per mile is unbelievable .
And yet again the trains on the Boro to Toon line are regularly cancelled.

I never understand how these super lines are vital to the nation because the train journey time is reduced by 30 minutes…and what’s so special about Birmingham?

its our second largest city stuck in the middle of the country and more should be spent around there and less in london including where our national stadium should have been built. then there would have been better reasons for HS2.