As I thought the system is geared to serve primarily London. All lines lead to London, with cross country non-existent. To get to Leeds should be minutes, but it will not be. The system should be meshed network, not an easy way for southern based businessmen to get to branch office and back in a day. They say they will consider Manchester to Leeds in consultations. The Northern Cities need to trade with each other more to release the dead paw of London. We always get the scraps.

Liverpool is the same distance from London as Manchester, yet the high-speed line will run through Manchester and to Liverpool it runs along slow existing track from Manchester making it 15 minutes longer from London. Liverpool is a side show.





They say:
The necessary interchange stations and links to the conventional rail network should also be provided to reach the full range of potential destinations from outset, and the capacity released on existing lines should be used to expand commuter and freight services, with particular benefit for key areas of housing growth around Milton Keynes and Northampton.

So the existing West Coast Main Line Spur running through Mossley Hill may have commuter trains on it, and clearly electric freight trains from the docks.