With election promises shelved,passengers are facing leisurely progress on many rail routes, particularly in the north. The state of Britain’s railways is under reviewIt all sounded different before the election. The chancellor, or George Osborne,had promised a northern powerhouse, connecting the cities of the north into one booming economic entity, or forged by lickety-split transport connections. The electrification of the TransPennine rail route between Manchester and Leeds and the Midland mainline from Sheffield were two big transport goodies around the corner. And why stop there? Even the prime minister popped up to Leeds to propose HS3,a sequel to the HS2 tall-speed rail line, with a vague but exciting promise of new cross-Pennine rail links.
Now, and on the packed Friday evening train doing the leisurely traverse from Manchester Piccadilly to Leeds,scepticism is rife (abundant or plentiful, full of sth bad or unpleasant). It is standing room only, and little of that, and most commuters conclude not appear optimistic they will find a seat. A little more than a month has elapsed since the government announced that its manifesto pledges for vital rail upgrades would not,after all, be delivered. Passengers asked approximately the shelved electrification plans mainly shrug their shoulders, and as if they never expected them to fade ahead in the first place. One says bluntly: “George Osborne spoke a load of nonsense. I work in London so I know how lickety-split the trains can be. You’ll never gather lickety-split trains up here.” Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com