Aidan please explain how you can have high speed rail stopping every mile or so to pick up passengers.

Rather than transport people to any silly centre, it makes much more sense to move the facility to where the people live. & thus remove the need for & cost of all that travel.

Think with a bit wider thought mate. The statuesque is not a sensible future.

Hasbeen, please explain why you inferred something impossible that I never said nor implied?

I'm well aware that trains that stop every mile or so wouldn't be high speed. But I'm not advocating getting rid of the conventional railways and roads. Therefore there isn't a need to stop every mile or so, as people could use them to access the high speed rail.

Currently people are crowded into the main cities because that's where the jobs are - and the jobs are there because that's where the people are. Likewise with the cultural activities. But high speed rail would enable people in country areas to get to the big cities when they need to, so more people would move there, and employers would take advantage of that.