I really wish the powers-at-be would look at Hyperloop as a serious alternative to HS2. While it seems so futuristic it's well within our technological abilities, just seems to be health and safety / legislature restrictions.
Potentially far cheaper to build and maintain, modern, environmentally better and quicker amongst a host of other benefits and would help make Britain a global leader in transportation.
The Danny in the Valley podcast episode with Dirk Ahlborn was eye opening on the potential benefits and briefly mentions HS2 and Crossrail along with the current SF to LA High Speed rail project.