HS2: Government defends costs amid Darling criticism
The government is planning "massive" investment in Britain's rail network beyond the HS2 project, the transport secretary has said.
Patrick McLoughlin was responding to a warning by the former chancellor Alistair Darling of a potential "nightmare" on England's existing railways if the multibillion-pound HS2 line is built, draining cash from other lines.
Mr McLoughlin insisted that the government is planning to invest £37bn on other areas of the rail network, adding that HS2 was vital to tackling a freight and passenger capacity shortage.
23 Aug 2013
- From the section UK Politics