While it is pretty cool, Crossrail and HS2 piss me off to no end as despite being an project that only affects england, the entire UK foots the bill. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scottish taxpayers foot the bill, under the pretense that this affects the entire UK, that it is a project that benefits the whole country.
And that's half right, most cities untouched by these projects have been predicted to lose out economically, as the south east beast grows ever more engrossing.