Futurology is a cursed science, but just occasionally I feel I can already write a news story years into the future. Watch out about the year 2040 for a headline: ‘Building HS2 wasn’t worth it, ministers admit.’ It gave a us a gleaming new Euston station, it will go on to say, and regenerated the once depressing Euston Road into a desirable suburb. But as for the rest of the country? There are a few signs of regeneration at one or two points along the route, but there is really not much to see.
How can I be so sure? Because, swap Euston for St Pancras and HS2 for HS1 and that is exactly the conclusion of a report published quietly by the government on Thursday analysing the cost and benefits of the high-speed line from St Pancras to the mouth of the Channel Tunnel.
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