Transport is essentially about dealing with — and overcoming — the uneven shape of the Earth, that is geography. Transportation systems have long been a part of geographical studies, as the changing means of moving goods and people between distant locations has spatial effects and alters our sense of place. In Britain, the geography of places could be reshaped in the near future by new high-speed rail (HSR) lines.
High Speed Two (HS2) is a proposed new railway line linking London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds (Figure 1). If built, it would be a major transport infrastructure scheme involving 540 km of new dedicated track up the spine of England. Trains would run at 400 km h−1. HS2 could cost more than £60 billion in total — a lot of public money to invest for speedier train journeys between cities. It could take the best part of 20 years to complete the processes of consultation, construction and commissioning.
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