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Is the above fantasy too? If not does it show that rail growth has risen significantly in 9 years? Does it show that growth is above 25% (9 years of 2.5% growth per year) for nearly every region which benefits from HS2? Does it show +70% growth for those regions which benefit from HS2 phase 1?
If so are you aware that under the model growth was predicted for 2.5% per year meaning that by the opening of Phase 2a growth should have reached +56%. +56% to +70% doesn't sound a lot but given the flows involved it's about a million extra trips being made a year between London and the North West compared with what was expected at the opening of Phase 2a.
Now although the North West and Yorkshire/Humber are below this they are still above the predictions anticipated for this point in the growth model by over 1/2 million passengers, with 1.35 million passengers to find in the next 9 years to carry on being on track at the opening of Phase 2a. To put that in perspective there were 2.4 million in the previous 9 years. However there's new trains and new services starting, which tend to always boost passenger numbers.
Phases 1, 2a & 2b (West) are currently more than justified on passenger growth, so can cope with some cost overruns. Phase 2b (East) is less robust, but is still meeting and exceeding the passenger rail growth predictions used to justify building HS2.
Someone else here on RUK, I remember, equated some anti-HS2 arguments to resemble those of a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory, where everything that justifies HS2 is fake and their back-of-fag-packet scheme is going to be a million times better than HS2 in every justifiable way.