What if...HS2 is scrapped?

[Peter Kelford]

Again it's reducing the need to travel, but Manchester to Birmingham, Leeds to Birmingham and Scotland to London aren't typically related to commuting flows, so are unlikely to be significantly impacted by work technology.

You yourself raised the point.

 

[The Ham]

No, by using existing XC services to Reading and changing to a GWR service. If you look at the journey time to Paddington from Southampton (1:30) doing that and add it to the journey time from Euston to Birmingham by HS2 (0:49) is about the same time (actually 10 minutes shorter which with the extra time into/out of Central London gives an allowance for changing) as the current XC services between Southampton and Birmingham (2:30).

Feel free to check the times using your preferred rail planner.

I assume that those who would doubt the above have had chance to check my figures, as such can we assume that is safe to say that passengers between Southampton and Birmingham and onwards will benefit from HS2. Even though it includes two changes, which is no different to going through London (which people also do).