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>>"But then the contractors won't get their back pockets filled. "

Are you saying that if money was spent on Northern infrastructure instead, it somehow wouldn't go to the same contractors? Contractors are agnostic on where the infra spend is geographically.

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No I'm just saying that HS2 seems to be more of a contractor back-pocket filler than other more meaningful projects. The amount that has gone in to build a slightly faster trainline is obscene (plus it's not actually going to be faster for most people since it's probably going to stop outside London).

I still don't understand. Is it that you think HS2 has higher margins for contractors than other projects? Otherwise spending an equivalent amount on large infrastructure elsewhere in the country would end up benefitting exactly the same contractors.

It's not really about the speed. The N-S train lines are beyond capacity already. The most important function of HS2 is that it is another N-S line.

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