Conservatives' 2017 manifesto lied about English Midlands electrification

Jonathan Calder reports that the decision to abandon electrification of the Midland main line was taken before Mrs May went to the country last year. Although the corresponding abandonment of Cardiff to Swansea electrification does seem to have been taken after the general election, this section is significant for the GWR mainline, giving the lie to Grayling's assertion that electro-diesels were a great step forward:

 the [National Audit Office] reports says:

At the time of the decision to cancel in March 2017, officials had advised the Secretary of State that the bi-mode rolling stock with the required speed and acceleration did not exist. They said that the maximum speed of bi-mode trains being built at the time was 100 miles per hour in diesel mode and that the acceleration was not sufficient to meet the timetable of the route. There was also a very high degree of uncertainty over the price of new bi-mode trains.