
The 'betrayal' that could kill Britain's railway romance
CNN
After the government amputated a key part of its own controversial HS2 plan to upgrade Britain's railways, can the country's creaking 19th century network deliver on promises to passengers?
(CNN) — The romance of rail travel has seduced many travelers over the years. Sitting in a train as it slips quietly out of a city, along tunnels and viaducts, sneaking glimpses of people's backyards before rolling into open countryside is one of life's true pleasures.
It's a love affair that started in Britain, as pioneering steam trains offered speed and comfort while linking the country's great urban centers to its furthest corners, then quickly spread around the world.
Yet, while railway passions continue to burn strong in countries across Asia and Europe, with investment in high speed networks cementing their place as the future of sustainable transport, in the UK the relationship is looking less than healthy.

Over the past 10 days, Vice President JD Vance put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on notice, rattled the confidence of century-old allies in Western Europe during his first foreign trip, decamped to Capitol Hill to help in delicate budget talks and delivered a spirited defense of the Trump administration’s first month to a gathering of conservatives outside the nation’s capital.