The government's rail plan is called "the integrated rail review" because it was supposed work out how to integrate HS2 – a new north-south line – with Northern Powerhouse Rail – a new east-west line.
As it happens, the review did not answer that question: it simply recommended cutting crucial bits off both projects.
People with knowledge of the review process say that far from looking at how to plan a rational rail network, it became a battleground for Rishi Sunak's Treasury to clamp down on spending.
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