The original premise for HS2 offered great potential, but it seems to have been watered down at every turn. If all it does is turn Birmingham into a commuter town for London, then I'm not sure what purpose it serves. The most vibrant countries economically tend to have a number of cities of equal economic stature (think Germany). Our wealth is hugely focussed on London and the South-East and we ought to be seeking ways to rebalance that, rather then entrench it. To coin a phrase, this seems to be throwing good money after bad. At what point do you stop when you realise you're not going to achieve what you set out to? Areas that have been demolished can easily be repurposed, and perhaps with a greater economic advantage. Besides, our physical presence in a location is less important than it once was, so high-speed transit may become a thing of the past like Concord.
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