In March 2014, Sunday Politics covered the news that the HS1 rail link might be dropped from the HS2 proposals. Then Transport Minister, Baroness Kramer suggested it could be replaced by a travelator.
Without the link, passengers will not be able to travel directly from the Midlands & North to mainland Europe as promised.
Sunday Politics, BBC1 London, 23rd March 2014
(18 months on, it looks like the link will be formally dropped from the plans.)