Posted by Red Hatter on 11/2/2020, 7:45 pm, in reply to "Re: HS2"
Have you bothered looking at the proposals, rather than saying I am in La La Land???
If the link to Birmingham Interchange is built, HS2 would use the existing rail network north bound. That is phase 1. Phase 2a links Birmingham with Crewe, Phase 2b links Birmingham with East Midlands, Chesterfield, Sheffield and York.
Whether phases 2a / 2b, or any of the later phases ever happen, it seems logical to get stage 1 done and that allows the existing network to be used and links up Glasgow and Edinburgh.