HS2 was always flawed. Focusing spending elsewhere on the rail network makes far more sense
It is easy to characterise the scrapping of part of HS2 as yet another great Tory betrayal, and for the government’s opponents to make hay of a decision that appears to run precisely counter to the Tories’ key manifesto commitment of “levelling up” the north.
Indeed, one can certainly add it to Boris Johnson’s long list of U-turns and obfuscations. And it would be fanciful to think that this new plan was the outcome of a careful assessment of transport needs in the region. Rather, it has emerged because of pressure from two key players: the Treasury, with its innate hatred of big-ticket items, and the Tory backbenchers, whose affection for Jaguars and BMWs is far greater than for newfangled high-speed trains.
Christian Wolmar is a writer and broadcaster specialising in transport
