As the last few pages of posts shows, the truth of the matter is that HS2 is all about London and helping ease congestion in the London commuter belts. That's why people from other parts of the country are opposed to it. It's yet another London-Centric improvement that will just make the concentration of the economy in London even worse and continue the trend of abandoning lots of other towns/regions across the country. People from outside London have the impression that yet again, London is getting billions spent on it, whilst they're getting peanuts. The whole point of the thread is why people are opposed to it, and that's why - whether that impression is right or wrong, it's the impression that people out in the regions have and explains the opposition.
The discussion here doesn't match where there's going to be improvements.
The fact that the discussion is about London is down to that's what's being highlighted by someone who is opposed HS2.
What's likely to happen in the North, were not entirely sure. However we can made since informed guesses. Manchester Piccadilly will loose 5 long distance trains in themorning peak.
Each of those are likely to be replaced with local services, with NPR doing so again.
However it's unlikely that each of those 5 services will be more than 6 coaches in length.
Let's say that 4 are, that allows 4 services on existing platforms to share platform space with with those new services and be 6 coaches in length.
However that then frees up platform capacity where the trains previously were for other local services to be lengthed.
Further coach can be realised by the local services needing less of a turn around time
If we were to repeat this for all HS2 stations (more are North of Birmingham than are South of Birmingham) then there's lots of extra capacity up for grabs.