This contrasts with previous statements madein February 2020committing the government to building the full HS2 internet.
It is a lot quicker to improve existing infrastructure than to build an entirely new system.
HS2 was never just about quicker journey times.
What other crucial issues would have been solved by HS2 that the new plan must now address?
Capacity is the primary issue.
The new plan will be useless if it doesnt make it possible to increase the number of possible journeys.
Further, there is the question of what will happen with freight.
Why were you in favour of HS2?
It would effectively bring us well into the 21st century.
Business leaders argued it would providemore jobs and more investment.
HS2 is a prestige project.
Other parts of the country have a more superior rail system.
So the fact that funding for a new tram system has finally been promised is a sweetener.
Is the cost-saving factor behind this decision justified?
The cost-benefit analysis for HS2 has never been convincing.
When it first came out in 2013, the figures were questioned.
As the cost of HS2 has gone up, the benefit to cost ratio has becomeincreasingly unreliable.
That is substantially less.
Given the unprecedented costs accrued due to COVID, though, such cuts to government spending are understandable.
And 96 billion still represents a major investment.
Half a bar of chocolate is better than no chocolate.
