Latest editorial
CHANCELLOR George Osborne sparked disbelief yesterday with a sudden vision of a “powerhouse” northern economy centred around a new Manchester-Leeds high-speed railway.
Train drivers’ union Aslef leader Mick Whelan accused Mr Osborne of peddling a political stunt to shore up the Tory vote in next year’s general election.
Labour shadow chancellor Ed Balls declared that nobody would believe the Tories could deliver the jobs, growth and investment which the north of England needed.
The HS2 debacle exposes what happens when public infrastructure is handed to private contractors – especially when set against China’s state-led high-speed rail success, says CARLOS MARTINEZ
Two-hundred years ago, on September 27 1825, the world’s first passenger railway line was opened between Stockton and Darlington. MICK WHELAN, general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers’ union, reflects on the history – and the future – of Britain’s railway industry
