Date: 04/08/2009

In July 1837 Britain opened an engineering marvel: the world's first, fast intercity railway between London and Birmingham. A century and a half later, the route came to symbolise Britain's disastrous transport planning. Taxpayers spent £9bn upgrading the line, only for trains to run more slowly and less frequently than promised. Figures last week showed that the west coast route is one of the least reliable services in the country.

External links

Make do and mend: how Britain neglected its railways

Guardian item

A succession of transport ministers aimed to keep trains out of the headlines