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Whoops - just head your description! Should read these things before commenting as I have just said the same things! ;-)

I think you’re right in that in about a year’s time should see significant changes as the site winds down..officially though believe it’s end of 2025.

Yes I think so too..another year….

UK has attempted to create a new mainline railway for the first time for well over a century. If mistakes are made, so be it. But that shouldn’t distract from the goal imo. For an asset that will last 200 years or more, initial cost is not really relevant so the railway should continue to Manchester. Thanks for your comment.

It was an ill conceived & fundamentally flawed scheme from the outset, which they embarked upon, on a figurative wing & a prayer. Never really knowing how it was going to progress (and seemingly not to actually care if it does or not). Otherwise greater fiscal management would have been exercised. However, they're in way too deep now, so to salvage anything of worth, the entire project has to be delivered as originally intended end to end. But the staggering ineptitude in failing to keep the project within budget & to timescale demonstrates the sheer contempt that politicians have with regard to overspending public money. Many public services within Britain are in turmoil due to funding constraints, but this white elephant consumes resources unabated. There never seems to be any recourse to, or accountability of those responsible. Cost is highly relevant to me & doubtless other UK tax payers too. The assumed, long time coming (if indeed ever to be achieved) 'benefits' do not outweigh the overall cost in terms of monetary and environmental impact, in conjunction with the disruption to peoples daily lives whilst the project stumbles along. Doubtless I and all other UK tax payers will have to fund it for decades, but the way it's going I am unlikely, ever within my lifetime to get to travel upon the finished project. I'll have long since passed before it reaches completion.

It looks amazingly better than a year ago just with some grass having been planted... I think you and many other detractors will be amazed what the natural regeneration will look like with the chalk grasslands, the new tree planting areas, etc. even five to ten years after completion!

If the Cost Consultant who put the original budget in place had any technical knowledge he/she would have been able to reason out why in broad terms what would be required such as temporary concrete casting factories rather than relying on the existing precast concrete industry which would have necessitated tens of thousands of lorry loads of components being delivered all-over the country which would have been more expensive. Ditto thousands of unknown planning conditions, road and underground aervices diversions. Logic would have made the original budget price look ridiculous.