HS2, Am I bovvered?

Aside from the obvious ‘it’s going to go through my back yard!’ then it really depends. Is Manchester to London in 1 hour and 8 minutes important to you? The first phase will progress to the West Midlands, Lichfield, Birmingham way. The second phase will progress north-eastwards, towards Leeds and north- westwards towards Manchester and Liverpool, in a giant wobbly ‘Y’ shape connecting the country. Long term maybe even Edinburgh and Glasgow could benefit.

It’s still a long time away, with phase two completion not scheduled until 2032. Assuming of course it’s on time. Remember too that it’s at least 4 governments away and Swampy (remember him, apparently he now lives in Wales) and his Eco-Warrior friends are yet to get physically involved.

The expenditure on the project will be staggering. It will benefit the economy, providing jobs on the project and for all players in the supply chain (let’s hope that we keep it to UK plc). It will also bring future business opportunities.

Northern Councils are generally in favour. Southern constituencies much less so, saying that it will cost each local authority involved around £51m. This is a painful hit for taxpayers. And how much will a ticket cost?

Lawrence Bellamy is a Professor at the Warrington School of Management, University of Chester