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The UK’s second city is divided by plans for a $140 billion high-speed railway

The UK’s second city is divided by plans for a $140 billion high-speed railway

On a bitterly cold Wednesday morning in February, the Eastside district of Birmingham is quiet. Bright red signs posted at regular intervals inform curious visitors that the work taking place across the Eastside is part of the High-Speed Two (HS2) railway project, a £106 billion ($138 billion) infrastructure project that will connect London to Birmingham at two points—Birmingham Airport and Curzon Street station in central Birmingham—and eventually further north, to Crewe, Manchester, and Leeds.