Close to a week of misdirection by the Tory election campaign team should end today. Most outlets have fallen for it; there's been little examination of policy, too much time given to Farage, and no sign of transport correspondents.
As with all government business cases, alternatives have to be put forward - and then dismissed. The lead alternative in the HS2 case was a massive increase in trains running out of King's Cross on the East Coast Mainline, particularly to Leeds and Newcastle. It also imagine great connectivity to Birmingham and Sheffield on that side of the country, and consistently longer trains out on the West Coast Mainline
The capacity question ? 500,000 seats a day arrive into Manchester from all destinations, carrying 78,500 passengers. The trouble is, they all want to come at the same time. Manchester shares the same 'overcrowding ratio' with Birmingham; but Cardiff and Leeds are worse.
69,000 passengers a day arrive at Euston, sharing a daily total of 500,000 seats. Yet Euston's 'overcrowding ratio' is the worst in the country.
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