HS2 is defended primarily as a capacity project. Existing main lines are too busy to close for reconstruction without disrupting the wider rail network within hours. A new high-speed route would provide the workaround needed to take older lines out of service and modernise them. The argument treats faster passenger journeys as one part of a larger effort to create maintenance and renewal capacity across the network.
Notable Point · 3:35:04-3:36:07
The capacity argument for HS2
The case for HS2 centres on spare capacity that would let Britain close and modernise heavily used main lines without paralysing the network.