Auditors are concerned that spiralling costs could see HS2 invoice the taxpayer for £106bn or the equivalent of a ‘Family Return to Crawley’. The controversial London to Birmingham line has taken over four years, with no end in sight – which is an accurate description of the current journey.
Science Fiction promised us a Moonbase by 1999, trips to Jupiter in 2001 and Brexit by 2020. Whereas as Network Rail has guaranteed toilets that flush, by 2077. Currently the project employs 9,000 people; 8,999 marketing executives to come up with the brand-name ‘HS2’ and ‘one bloke with a shovel’ to do the rest. The end build promises 345 miles of new high-speed track and 345 miles of snail speed ticket queues.
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