When London’s new 73-mile Elizabeth line won the prestigious Stirling prize for architecture last week, the judges’ choice proved a popular one. Spacious, fast and pleasing on the eye, the east-west addition to the capital’s underground network is a triumphant example of modern civic infrastructure. As this newspaper’s architecture and design critic put it, here was proof positive that “Britain is still capable of pulling off gargantuan transport infrastructure projects with style and panache”.
Sadly, beyond the south-east – and particularly in the north – such feelgood moments have been notable by their absence. Ten years after George Osborne’s northern powerhouse agenda promised upgraded rail links across the north of England, travellers in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds are still waiting on the platform for that new era to arrive. During that time, spending per capita on transport in London has been more than double that in the north. A dizzying series of Westminster policy delays, cancellations and U-turns have cumulatively undermined investor confidence and passenger morale from Liverpool to Leeds.
