Down the years Britain has had its fair share of prestige projects that have turned out to be expensive flops, but as white elephants go, HS2 is in a class of its own. Over budget, years behind schedule and already pared back in a bid to save money, the new rail link between London and the north-west of England makes Concorde look like good value for money. A decision to stop throwing good money after bad is long overdue.
Last month, the government’s infrastructure watchdog gave its assessment of how HS2 is progressing. Not at all well, was the answer. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) gave the project a red rating, by which it means successful delivery appears to be unachievable.
