Jabird:
It will NOT go to Scotland, where it might pick up passengers from air, yet HS2 Ltd are claiming it will still take 81% - yes 81% of the WHOLE market between London and Scotland.
And yet it only makes sense is it DOES go to Scotland
The time savings from Brum are insignificant. Better from Manchester. Positively inviting if you are coming from Glasgow, Edinburgh or Newcastle.
When I use TGV, it is only as a preference to flying (I hate flying), and that means a long domestic route, to the south of France.
Jabird
It isn't sexy, it isn't ideal, but the most obvious and practical way for London to expand capacity is to add runways to its existing airports, and there is more space and less of a noise issue doing this at LGW first, then STN.
And as we have told you,
ad infinitum, that will also solve nothing.
We are looking at overcapacity at London's Wold Hub, and having inbound international passengers facing the prospect of their domestic flight departing from STN or LGW will solve
absolutely nothing.
The only two choices here are:
a. Build another two runways at LHR (minimum of two). This involves demolishing all of the towns up to the railway north of the M4 - including all of W Drayton. Only then would you have enough land space, allowing for new runways either side of the M4. And you would still blight the whole of London with noise.
b. Build the new Silver-Boris airport in the Thames Estuary.
.
.