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Analysis: What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel have done?

11/03/2024

What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel have done?

BBC Radio 4 - Analysis, What would Isambard Kingdom Brunel have done?

Could Britain's most famous civil engineer solve the UK's infrastructure problems?

HS2 will now never reach Manchester, and will reach Birmingham late. Spiraling costs and missed deadlines are are a problem in big UK projects. Could Brunel have done better?

It's 2024, and the Manchester extension of HS2 has been cancelled. The leg to Leeds was cancelled in 2021. The remaining line to Birmingham is now less than half the initial planned route, and will cost over double the initial budget. This is not exclusive to HS2; Sprialling costs and missed deadlines have become commonplace in big engineering projects, the UK is now one of the most expensive places in the world to build infrastructure, but Britain has a proud history of engineering, and one name in particular looms large - Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Ruthless, bloody minded and notoriously driven - what could he do about the current state of UK infrastructure?

Presenter: Neil Maggs
Producer: Johnny I'Anson
Editor: Clare Fordham

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