If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the ...

hs2 soon fell behind schedule and ran well over budget. The original line has been drastically pruned—it will now run only from London to slightly north of Birmingham. Plans for hs3 have been shelved.

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...