We can't even build Birmingham to Crewe. One step at a time. Bristol-Mcr 2:50 via full hs2 connecting at OOC with more frequency.

This is the same cost. 1.3bn for the tunnels, 4.8bn for the station. This is exactly the same, just the FT have added 1.5bn for redeveloping the other side of Euston Station.

Old oak common was to take care of that if you were travelling SW to EM/yorks. SW to Birmingham is/would be improved via midland rail hub.

..then there's the contract procurement, which the govt messed up, so likely any other route wouldn't be particularly cheaper.

It'd need to tunnel under Luton/Dunstable, be longer and probably end up with more compansation to those affected. Just under half the cost of phase 1 is the innercity bits, the stations, the rolling stock which you can't avoid.
Since the project is so big, it cost a lot to train the workforce too..

No, and it still wouldn't solve the main issue hs2 is being built to solve, which is the lack of capacity to run more services and increase reliability

Would have cost more and affected more people. The eastern branch of phase 2 would have followed the m1 for a bit pnl1-word-view.officeapps.live.com/wv/mWord.asp...

Long term decisions for a brighter future.

I did wonder what the meaning was

Well north of Litchfield, but the trains still will.

Privatisation not the issue. Passenger numbers have more than doubled in 25 years to 2019, more services running than ever before. Capacity biggest problem. Rail nationalised in all but name in 2020 and has been run into ground by govt since.

Well it's a train to Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham, London. Not sure any of those places could be called nowhere.

It's a little too big and can't fit as much on the phone's screen

Boris was incompetent and lazy, but Rishi is more calculating in this respect. It grates more that he is presenting this image of long term decisions for a brighter future, whilst making damaging short term decisions for a shit future purely for political gain.

Its like having Richard Wellings decide transport policy.

Perhaps believes the anti green, pro road stuff will be popular, but it's spectacularly cynical and damaging. Not a long term decision for a brighter future.

I hadn't realised until the other day, he was at policy exchange with Andrew Gilligan. There's some speculation they're also planning to ditch the Bedford Cambridge section of east west rail in favour of road. Seems to be an ideology.