The championing of the north by the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, is a noble cause, but his past support for HS2 was a dreadful mistake. From the start, it was clear that the staggering £100bn cost – more than all other rail projects put together – would cripple all British rail investments everywhere. So it has proved.
The latest rumoured HS2 salami-slice proposed stopping the service at the new Elizabeth Line station at Old Oak Common – which the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has now denied. This is a shame, because it makes sense to offer a better east-west London service than running another service through Euston.
