I live near Coalville and the local FB groups are full of moaners and angry people about it not going to Leicester but none have read the info from NR etc or even bothered to think about it in detail.
South of Coalville there is a lot of potential freight traffic, there is a couple of big quarries with many paths for big heavy stone trains. You would have to fit the passenger paths in and around these… which brings us to the next points…
The line is also single for a lot (if not all) of it, I can’t fully remember as it’s been a while since I followed the line, but having walked over various bits on my jaunts in the countryside lots is single track so that limits the options for passing..
Then you get to the issue of the north chord missing and the land built on, so now your looking at a reversal somewhere, which eats into capacity on the main line,
It is also tied into Leicester remodeling which isn’t happening right now and the money for the opening is a set amount.. ie we have X amount what can you open with that? Oh and by the way you have until the next election to sort it all out (not sure if that’s just get it costed and the wheels in motion.. Ie signed off but I guess so as the chance of it being finished is 0) and clearly sorting a missing chord and / or adding passing loops isn’t cheap.
North of Coalville very little runs, I think last time I checked there is a coupe trains a week that’s it, so pathing for north is a lot easier and you don’t need any extra infrastructure as such I am guessing, so cheaper and quicker meaning you hit the budget and time restrictions too.
Once north it open and if it’s used then campaign for phase 2 getting into Leicester, but alot of the locals don’t understand or see this,