Here in the north, we’ve put the cross into rail | Helen Pidd
The Conservative manifesto promised ‘northern powerhouse rail’ – but Chris Grayling has crushed those electric dreams
• Helen Pidd is the Guardian’s north of England editor
There was something particularly enraging about the transport secretary’s support this week for another multibillion-pound rail tunnel under London – one that just so happens to start in his constituency – mere days after he cancelled electrification upgrades to key lines outside the M25.
Chris Grayling is the MP for Epsom, the first station on Crossrail 2, a £30bn train line connecting Surrey and Hertfordshire with the capital. His enthusiasm for the project came two years before Crossrail 1 is due to fully open – and three days after he gave an interview to the Financial Times in which he let slip he was thinking of breaking a Conservative manifesto commitment to electrify the main rail routes in the north of England. The job was proving a bit too hard, apparently.
Source: Guardian Transport
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