The horror story of HS2
How a flagship project became a parable of Britain’s problems
“It’s not ideal,” says James Richardson, a tunnelling engineer at Old Oak Common station in west London. He is standing in a vast hole: almost a kilometre long, 70 metres wide, 20 metres deep. Some 2,000 people are working at the site: by the early 2030s Old Oak Common should be one of the largest stations in Europe, with six underground platforms for high-speed trains whizzing in and out of London. But Mr Richardson isn’t sure where to dig next.
Explore more
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Horror story ”
Britain February 17th 2024
From the February 17th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Are British voters as clueless as Labour’s intelligentsia thinks?
How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A tiny island fights the scourge of plastic on the beach
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?