It's worth considering the effect of the MGT:2k3 "drive tuner" on the astrography of 2300AD, and the tug more generally. Hence I will compare conventional and "tug" journeys along the French Arm:
Sol To Beowulf
Earth to Queen Alice's Star (7.7 ly)
Sol -> Sol shelf = 1.45 AU = 2.25 vly
Sol shelf -> Nyotekundu outer system = 7.64 ly
(Discharge, 1.6 days)
Nyotekundu -> Bessieres outer system = 4.01 ly
(Discharge)
Bessieres -> Nibelungen outer system = 7.11 ly
(Discharge)
Nibelungen -> Augereau outer system = 4.24 ly
Round trip to discharge point = 2x 1.37 AU = 4.25 vly
(Discharge)
Augereau -> QAS outer system = 5.79 ly
QAS outer system -> Beowulf = 1.52 AU = 2.36 vly
(Discharge)
Distance = 37.65 vly and 5 discharges
For warp 1 vessel = 45.65 days
Earth to QAS with tugs (avoiding Augereau)
Sol -> Sol shelf = 1.45 AU = 2.25 vly
(Tug stop, assume 4 hrs)
Sol -> Bessieres outer system = 8.25 ly
(Discharge)
Bessieres -> Nibelungen outer system = 7.11 ly
(Discharge)
Nibelungen -> QAS = 8.96 ly
(Tug stop)
QAS outer system -> Beowulf = 1.52 AU = 2.36 vly
(Discharge)
Distance = 28.93 vly, 3 discharges and 2 tug stops
For warp 1 vessel = 34.06 days
The construction of the tug links saves 11.59 days for a warp 1 vessel, and roughly means 4 trips can be made in the time of 3 previous. The starship thus has a 33% higher income.
From Beowulf to BCV-4
Beowulf -> QAS outer system = 1.52 AU = 2.36 vly
-> Kimanjano outer system = 7.25 ly
(Discharge)
-> BCV-4 outer system = 5.69 ly
Outer system -> BCV-4 = 1.37 AU = 2.12 vly
(Discharge)
= 17.42 vly and 2 discharges
For warp 1 vessel = 20.62 days
Via Tug
Beowulf -> QAS outer system = 1.52 AU = 2.36 vly
-> BCV-4 outer system = 10.17 ly
(Tug stop)
Outer system -> BCV-4 = 1.37 AU = 2.12 vly
(Discharge)
= 14.65 vly, 1 discharge and 1 tug stop
For warp 1 vessel = 16.42 days
From BCV-4 to Aurore
BCV-4-> outer system = 1.37 AU = 2.12 vly
-> Dunkelheim = 7.52 ly
Round trip to Dunkelheim = 2x 1.38 AU = 4.42 vly
(Discharge)
-> Hochbaden = 4.94 ly
Round trip to Hochbaden = 2x 1.68 AU = 5.21 vly
(Discharge)
-> Aurore = 4.83 ly
= 29.04 vly and 2 discharges
For warp 1 vessel = 32.24 days
Via Tug
BCV-4-> outer system = 1.37 AU = 2.12 vly
Outer system -> Nous Voila = 8.13 ly
(Tug Stop)
(Outer System Discharge)
Nous Voila -> Aurore = 8.51 ly
(Tug Stop)
(Tithonus is in outer system)
= 18.76 vly, 1 discharge and 1 tug stop
For warp 1 vessel = 20.53 days
Terra to Aurore stopping at Beowulf and BCV-4 with Warp 1 Vessel
Conventional = 98.51 days
With Tugs = 71.01
"The Canal"
Or, avoiding the French Arm proper would be:
Sol -> Bessieres -> DM+15 2620 -> DM+11 2576 -> Aurore = 37.31 ly (outer body status of DM+15 2620 and DM+11 2576 unknown)
It's likely the journey to Aurore for a warp 1 vessel could be cut to ca. 45 days, less than half the current travel time.
DM+15 2620 is a conventionally reachable star a mere 4 "jumps" from Sol out on the Ariadne Finger.
DM+11 2576 is out in the Wolf Cluster and so unexplored as of 2300AD.
Effects
It's clear that if "drive tuners" make tugging easy and risk free that a system of stutterwarp "canals" will develop to make travel shorter, easier and more efficient. The effect of "small canals" above is to cut ca. 30% off the journey time from Earth to Aurore and points inbetween. The "grand canal" more than halves the journey time. With the decreased journey time comes a related increase in journey frequency and hence volume of good carried.
There are also strategic reasons for building such routes - bypassing the two German colonies between Nous Voila and Aurore is an obvious one for the French, Nibelungen can also be cut out for a slight drop in efficiency.
The real question remains how to implement such a system. Given what was written in the Traveller's Digest it's simply an option of building a big "heighliner" tug that runs out typically 2-3 ly out of the departure system and either brings online a bunch of carried ships, or separates in two and goes home whilst the other part brings the drive online and carries on. The heighliner can mate with a new carrier and launch again.
On the Sol-Aurore "canal" you'd pick up the Heighliner at Bessieres and ride it through. If you're carrying a ship onboard it simply keeps the drive offline and brings it up at Aurore. More likely the heighliner simply carries a lot of goods and people like a cross between a cruiseliner and an oiler tanker.....
Conclusion
Since that genie is out of the bottle in MGT (and arguably GDW 2300AD) the people, nations and corporations of that universe will run with it. The "arms" structure will break down over the coming decades and nations with the capacity to exploit the new capabilities (France and America most obviously) will become more dominant whilst the weak starfarers (Germany and Manchuria most obviously) will wither. Brazil of course gets a new lease of life with its canal to Paulo......
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