HS2’s extension and the paradox of infrastructure investment
Boris Johnson would have less of a dilemma if British trains were not so expensive
TORY MPS and Labour mayors are unlikely allies. But some have united to defend the planned extension of High Speed 2 (HS2) from Birmingham to Leeds. The railway’s costs have ballooned from £33bn ($53bn) in 2012 to at least £108bn. Work has only started on the first phase, from London to Birmingham. Boris Johnson might be tempted to swing the axe.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “The wrong track”
Britain August 14th 2021
- Britain’s courts are in a mess
- The battle for north London’s public space
- The British government’s unwanted higher-education boom
- HS2’s extension and the paradox of infrastructure investment
- Brexit Britain wants to liberalise trade with poor countries
- Britain’s economy: less scarred by covid-19 than had been feared
- Boris Johnson’s strained love affair with the motorist
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