It’s been more than a decade in the making – and was supposed to help connect English cities like never before. Now, delayed, over budget and more controversial than ever, HS2 ambitions have hit the buffers.
Rumours have been swirling for weeks that the Manchester to Birmingham leg would be scrapped – and that the fate of the line between Euston and Old Oak Common was hanging in the balance. Now as the Conservative party conference is in full swing – ironically in a former Manchester railway station – the speculation that Sunak is finally going to confirm the rumours has hit fever pitch. And it has caused an outpouring of anger from politicians in the North and Midlands, such as Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham.
Helen Pidd, the Guardian’s North of England editor, has been following the story for more than a decade. She explains how costs on the project have risen to the point where the prime minister says it is no longer viable. And she tells Nosheen Iqbal how people whose homes were bought up feel about the dramatic change of plan
Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters
Support The Guardian
The Guardian is editorially independent.
And we want to keep our journalism open and accessible to all.
But we increasingly need our readers to fund our work.
