"HS2 is a plan for an era that no longer exists. It is about saving ‘executive’ time in getting to London. It has always been about indifference to the countryside. It has always ignored the fact that it is a plan to support the south-east. And it has always glossed over the fact that it is a subsidy to those already wealthy, who are the only people who will be able to afford its fares, which are bound to be even more absurd than those already charged on West Coast routes."
https://www.taxresearch.org.uk