Off The Rails

‘A jaunty account of a monumental cock-up. Makes the unbelievable readable.’ -- Sir Michael Palin 'This book exposes in intricate and cruel detail the scandal that is HS2. The blame may be thickly spread, but Gimson finds the key culprits.' -- Christian Wolmar, author and presenter of 'Calling All Stations' podcast 'A forensic, gripping analysis of the mother of all government blunders which shines an unforgiving light on the structural weakness of the British state.'  -- Sir Ivor Crewe, co-author of 'The Blunders of our Governments' 'Sally Gimson has done the public a great service by setting out clearly and succinctly the chronology of woolly thinking that has led to the current debacle... This is a story of equal-opportunities failure to which every part of the British establishment has contributed... Read this book with a stiff drink.' -- Literary Review 'A pacy, readable and infuriating account of how what started as a bold vision of the future crumbled into an embarrassing failure. Gimson cuts through the noise to offer a clear-eyed and vital explanation of mistakes we must learn from.' -- Peter Apps, author of 'Show Me the Bodies' 'The story of HS2 is a reflection on the failings of the British state not of simply one project or organisation. Neither those against or those of us for it have won – everyone has lost, and this book tells the story of how and why that happened.' -- Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership