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Northern Powerhouse Rail Risks HS2-Style Disaster, MPs Warn

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Thousands of high-value manufacturing jobs are at risk because Britain’s largest train assembly plant is due to run out of work by the end of the year after delays in the contract to build high-speed rolling stock for HS2.

After 12 years in the planning, the north’s flagship rail scheme still has no detailed design and a £45 billion budget that the public accounts committee says was set before anyone knew what it would build.

The plan to transform train services across the north of England is at risk of sliding into the same fiasco that has engulfed HS2, according to parliament’s spending watchdog, which says the scheme still lacks a proper design and a realistic budget after more than a decade of planning.

In a withering report, the Commons public accounts committee (PAC) said Northern Powerhouse Rail had no detailed design to speak of after 12 years on the drawing board, and warned that its £45 billion budget had become “decoupled from reality”. As it stands, the committee said, the project is likely to fail to deliver the improvements promised and risks becoming yet another government infrastructure albatross.

Originally conceived as a high-speed line linking Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, the scheme has since been pared back to a series of local upgrades intended to deliver faster and more frequent services. The government revived the programme in January with a phased £45 billion vision for the north, but the PAC is unconvinced the numbers stack up.

The committee said it was “not confident that the Department for Transport (DfT) has learnt all the lessons from its past failures in its management of other rail projects”, pointing above all to the truncated HS2 north-south link. HS2 has busted its budget and could cost well in excess of £100 billion despite now running only as far as Birmingham, and is expected to be at least five years late.

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On the money, the PAC was blunt. There was “no convincing plan” to deliver Northern Powerhouse Rail’s aims within the £45 billion cap, it said, and no explanation of how the Treasury had arrived at the figure in the first place, with no formal design, scope or costing yet published.

Clive Betts, the PAC’s deputy chair, said there was no doubt that railways in the north needed transforming to deliver jobs, mobility and productivity. But having taken evidence from interested parties, he warned: “Our committee has heard troubling echoes of the same mistakes in loose governance that HS2 made early on.

“Much of the project remains almost impressionistic. Both the Treasury and DfT have questions to answer about the project’s £45 billion funding cap. We need to know how this figure was arrived at and how DfT will keep to it. Capping a project’s funding before it was even designed or costed feels like putting a roof on a house before the foundations are laid.”

Betts reserved particular scorn for the decision to let HS2 Ltd, the agency set up to deliver HS2, advise on Northern Powerhouse Rail, calling it laughable that a body with such a record of failure should be shaping the north’s next big scheme.

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The report lands as northern leaders press for a firmer commitment to the region. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, a vocal champion of devolution who has warned the north faces “Armageddon” without proper rail links, has continued to push for better transport connections and a shift of power away from Westminster.

The committee wants clarity, and quickly. It called on the DfT, already stretched by HS2 and the creation of Great British Railways, the new publicly controlled operator, to front up: “Within six months, the department should write to us to confirm whether Northern Powerhouse Rail is a mega-project or not.”

That question matters because the answer determines how the scheme is governed, scrutinised and funded, and the committee’s frustration is that, 12 years in, it still cannot be answered. Ministers have also faced pressure over cheaper alternatives elsewhere on the network, including a cut-price “HS2-light” line beyond Birmingham being weighed up by officials.

The Department for Transport pushed back firmly. “Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver the biggest investment in rail connectivity in a generation, giving the north the transport links it deserves and driving growth, jobs and investment across the region,” a spokesperson said.

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“NPR will not repeat the mistakes of HS2, which is why we accepted all the recommendations of the James Stewart review and are taking a disciplined, phased approach, completing detailed technical work with all stakeholders before fixing precise choices for major infrastructure.

“Since announcing NPR in January, we have worked closely with mayors to take the project forward. New joint partnership forums are already overseeing the next stage of development and Network Rail has begun developing engineering designs.”

The full findings are set out in the PAC’s report on Northern Powerhouse Rail, which draws on National Audit Office analysis showing the DfT will have spent some £410 million on the programme by March 2026. For a scheme meant to rebalance the economy, the watchdog’s message is uncomfortable: design first, cost second, and cap the budget only once you know what you are building, rather than the other way round.


Jamie Young

Jamie Young

Jamie is Senior Reporter at Business Matters, bringing over a decade of experience in UK SME business reporting.
Jamie holds a degree in Business Administration and regularly participates in industry conferences and workshops.

When not reporting on the latest business developments, Jamie is passionate about mentoring up-and-coming journalists and entrepreneurs to inspire the next generation of business leaders.

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Vedanta Aluminium share price target: Why Citi, CLSA, Nuvama see up to 20% upside after Q1 earnings

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Vedanta Aluminium share price target: Why Citi, CLSA, Nuvama see up to 20% upside after Q1 earnings
Brokerages reiterated their bullish calls on the shares of Vedanta Aluminium Metal after the recently-listed company reported a more than threefold year-on-year (YoY) jump in consolidated net profit to Rs 5,629 crore for the first quarter of FY27.

Vedanta Aluminium Metal, which debuted on stock exchanges last month after spinning out of Vedanta during the mega demerger, saw its share price rise nearly 2% on Friday morning to trade at Rs 465 apiece after the company on Thursday reported a 46% YoY surge in revenue from operations to Rs 21,393 crore during the April-June quarter of FY27.

Vedanta Aluminium’s total income rose more than 46% YoY to Rs 21,702 crore, while total expenses increased over 7.5% YoY to Rs 12,870 crore during the quarter under review. Vedanta Aluminium’s net profit margin more than doubled to 31% in Q1 FY27 from 15% in Q1 FY26, while its operating profit margin improved to 45% from 26% in the corresponding quarter last year. The company’s net worth surged more than 86% YoY to Rs 30,441 crore at the end of the first quarter.

Along with its Q1 results, Vedanta Aluminium Metal announced its first interim dividend of Rs 8 per share on a face value of Re 1 for FY27. The company has fixed August 5 (Wednesday) as the record date to determine shareholders’ eligibility for the dividend.

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Also read | Vedanta Aluminium Q1 Results: Net profit soars 3x YoY to Rs 5,629 crore; Rs 8/share dividend declared

CLSA on Vedanta Aluminium share price

CLSA maintained its ‘Outperform’ rating on the shares of Vedanta Aluminium, with a target price of Rs 540 apiece, implying more than 18% upside potential from the stock’s previous closing price of Rs 457.05 apiece on NSE.


The international brokerage said that the company’s Q1 performance came in largely in line with estimates, with cost of production falling by $20 per tonne despite the impact of the Middle East conflict. Key projects (capacity expansion guidance and coal and bauxite mine commissioning) were largely on track, which could drive $175-200 per tonne in cost savings, it added.

Citi on Vedanta Aluminium share price

Citi has a ‘Buy’ call on the shares of Vedanta Aluminium, with a target price of Rs 525 apiece, implying around 15% upside potential. It said that the company’s EBITDA was 4% ahead of estimates.
This came on the back of rising aluminium prices and lower costs.

Nuvama on Vedanta Aluminium share price

Nuvama has a ‘Buy’ call on the stock with a target price of Rs 540 apiece. The brokerage highlighted that the firm’s Q1 EBITDA was in line with estimates, driven by higher aluminium prices and lower cost of production.“We expect Q2 FY27 EBITDA to be 5-8% lower QoQ due to lower aluminium price and higher CoP, partly offset by higher volume. Start of its captive bauxite and coal mine in H2 FY27 is likely to reduce its hot metal CoP below $1,600/t in FY28,” it added.

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Emkay on Vedanta Aluminium share price

Emkay said Vedanta Aluminium delivered a strong Q1 FY27 earnings print, reporting record-high EBITDA, broadly in line with estimates and driven by firmer aluminium prices and sustained cost discipline.

“We believe the medium-term cost reduction story is intact, supported by higher captive alumina integration, commencement of captive bauxite and coal mines, and the BALCO expansion, which should drive margin expansion. Q2 earnings are likely to soften sequentially due to cost-related headwinds, the lower Al prices, and the impact of hedges, these should be partly offset by higher BALCO volumes,” the brokerage said.

Emkay has a ‘Buy’ call on the shares of Vedanta Aluminium, with a target price of Rs 550 apiece, implying an upside potential of more than 20% from the stock’s previous closing price.

Vedanta Aluminium share price

Vedanta Aluminium was the only large-cap stock among the four companies spun off from Vedanta under its mega demerger and debuted in June. It debuted at Rs 522 apiece on the NSE, surpassing its parent company in terms of market capitalisation.

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The shares have gained around 6% in one week and 3% in a month, but are overall down more than 7% since listing.

Also read | Vedanta share price target: Why brokerages see up to 24% upside after Q1 earnings?

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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Oil choppy as Hormuz tanker traffic improves despite ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict

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Oil choppy as Hormuz tanker traffic improves despite ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict

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China inspects Chery, Nio and JAC for vehicle safety compliance

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China inspects Chery, Nio and JAC for vehicle safety compliance

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Microsoft Profit Jumps 31% as Azure Cloud Sales Surpass $100 Billion

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Microsoft Profit Jumps 31% as Azure Cloud Sales Surpass $100 Billion

Microsoft MSFT reported robust cloud growth and a boost in the number of paid artificial-intelligence subscribers, as investors remain fixated on whether the tech giant’s data-center spending will pay off.

Microsoft’s revenue rose 18% to $90 billion in the quarter ended in June, a sign that the company’s AI-revenue growth is accelerating and that it will continue to spend on data centers.

Copyright ©2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8

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France and Spain win some respite, as wildfire battles rage across Europe

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France and Spain win some respite, as wildfire battles rage across Europe

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'I will miss my shop tremendously after six decades'

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Patrick Meredith, he's a white man with glasses and grey hair. He's mid laugh, looking just away from the view of the camera.

Meredith’s DIY Hardware and Ironmongery has been at Yate Shopping Centre, near Bristol, since 1965.

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Hyundai Motor India shares rally 7% despite Q1 profit decline. Should you buy, sell or hold?

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Hyundai Motor India shares rally 7% despite Q1 profit decline. Should you buy, sell or hold?
Shares of Hyundai Motor India rose nearly 7% to Rs 2,157.80 on Friday despite reporting a weak set of Q1 FY27 numbers, with the earnings broadly meeting analyst expectations. Expectations of improving volumes, a healthy product pipeline and stronger export momentum further supported investor sentiment.

Brokerages maintained a positive outlook on the stock, citing Hyundai’s focus on regaining domestic market share, expanding exports, improving product mix, and cost optimisation initiatives.

Hyundai Motor India Limited reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 889 crore for Q1 FY27, declining 35% year-on-year compared with Rs 1,369 crore in the same quarter last year. Revenue from operations slipped marginally by 0.5% YoY to Rs 16,335 crore from Rs 16,413 crore. Ebitda declined 31% YoY to Rs 1,512 crore, while Ebitda margin contracted to 9.3% from 13.3% a year ago, impacted by commodity inflation, lower volumes, plant startup costs, and an adverse product mix.

The company acknowledged that Q1 FY27 was a challenging quarter, impacted by multiple headwinds affecting volumes and profitability. Hyundai said temporary production disruptions limited domestic volume growth to 5.4% YoY, while exports were affected by geopolitical challenges, including the ongoing West Asia conflict.

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“Q1 FY27 was a challenging quarter, affected by multiple headwinds impacting volumes and profitability. With 100% normalisation of production, coupled with a healthy demand environment and an upcoming product pipeline, recovery is likely to gain pace from Q2 onwards across both domestic and export businesses,” said Tarun Garg, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Hyundai Motor India.

Brokerages remain optimistic

HDFC Securities noted that Hyundai’s Q1 revenue performance was broadly in line with its estimates and Bloomberg consensus. The brokerage highlighted management’s aggressive strategy to revive business fundamentals through market share recovery, export expansion, improved product mix, localisation, and value engineering.


HDFC Securities expects a rising CNG mix and the upcoming compact electric SUV launch to strengthen Hyundai’s positioning ahead of the upcoming CAFE 3 emission norms. The brokerage maintained an Add rating and valued the company at 23x June 2028 earnings per share, with a target price of Rs 2,142.
Motilal Oswal Financial Services said Hyundai’s Q1 FY27 profit beat its estimates, with PAT at Rs 8.9 billion compared with its estimate of Rs 8.3 billion, supported by higher-than-expected other income and lower depreciation. The brokerage said Ebitda margin at 9.3% was broadly in line with expectations, though down 400 basis points YoY due to cost pressures and operational challenges.Motilal Oswal expects Hyundai’s new launches and strong export order book to drive growth in the second half of FY27. It estimates Hyundai to deliver around 9% volume CAGR over FY26-28, led by a 12% CAGR in exports, while earnings are projected to grow at around 16% CAGR during the period.

The brokerage believes Hyundai remains well-positioned to benefit from India’s premiumization trend, supported by its strong SUV portfolio, and reiterated its Buy rating with a target price of Rs 2,334, valuing the stock at 26x FY28 estimated earnings. With production normalisation, new launches, and export recovery expected to support growth from Q2 FY27 onwards, analysts believe Hyundai’s near-term challenges could give way to a stronger second half performance.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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Skip Bayless Mocks Reported LeBron James “Last Dance” Documentary as Business Partner Denies the Plans

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Skip Bayless

Sports commentator Skip Bayless dismissed reports that LeBron James is planning an ESPN documentary chronicling his final NBA seasons in the style of Michael Jordan’s “The Last Dance,” even as conflicting accounts emerged about whether such a project is actually in the works following James’s move to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported that a camera crew would follow James starting this upcoming season to document his time with the 76ers, whom the 41-year-old signed with this summer on a two-year, $8 million deal. Bayless responded to the report on social media with a pointed critique, framing the project as an attempt by James to draw comparisons to Jordan’s legacy. “LeBron is at it again, trying to be Jordan, beat Jordan with a Jordan-style ‘Last Dance’ documentary,” Bayless wrote on X. “Laughably pathetic. He’s not even in MJ’s universe. There was only one 23.”

Bayless has been an outspoken critic of James for much of his broadcasting career, a stance he has attributed to his admiration for Jordan, whom he covered extensively as a lead sports columnist for the Chicago Tribune during the 1990s. That period placed Bayless in close proximity to the Chicago Bulls dynasty that Jordan led to six NBA championships, an era that has continued to shape Bayless’s public comparisons between the two players throughout James’s career.

Not everyone close to James has confirmed the documentary plans described in the initial report. Maverick Carter, the chief executive of Uninterrupted and James’s longtime business partner, moved quickly to dispute the characterization of the project on social media. “We are NOT doing anything like the ‘last dance,’” Carter wrote on X. “LeBron doesn’t even know when his last season is.” James amplified Carter’s statement by retweeting it, effectively co-signing the denial through his own account.

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Carter and James have built one of the most enduring partnerships in professional sports over the course of James’s career, with the two having grown up together before Carter went on to serve as James’s business adviser. Under Carter’s guidance, James has built a business empire that has helped push his net worth beyond $1 billion, spanning ventures in media, entertainment and consumer products alongside his NBA career.

The conflicting accounts come amid a significant and closely watched chapter in James’s career, following his decision this summer to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers after a lengthy free agency process that included interest from several other prominent franchises. James enters the coming season with a clear stated objective: winning a fifth NBA championship, which would require him to add a title with the 76ers to previous championships he won with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers. Should James accomplish that goal, he would become the first player in NBA history to win a championship with four different franchises, a milestone that would further cement his standing among the league’s all-time greats regardless of how it compares to Jordan’s own championship résumé.

Jordan’s “The Last Dance,” a 10-part documentary series that aired on ESPN in 2020, chronicled the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 championship season and became a cultural phenomenon during its release, drawing record ratings for ESPN amid a period when live sports programming had been paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The documentary offered an unusually intimate look at Jordan’s final season with the Bulls, drawing on archival footage combined with new interviews, and significantly shaped public discourse around Jordan’s legacy and his rivalry-driven leadership style.

Given the outsized cultural impact of Jordan’s documentary, any suggestion that James might pursue a similarly structured project chronicling the final stage of his own career was always likely to draw close scrutiny and comparison, particularly from commentators like Bayless who have spent years positioning Jordan as the definitive standard against which James’s career should be measured.

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James’s move to Philadelphia has generated substantial attention across the league this offseason, with reactions pouring in from players, executives and media figures alike since the signing was finalized. The specific question of whether a documentary project will ultimately materialize, and in what form, remains unresolved given the direct contradiction between The Athletic’s initial reporting and the public denial issued by Carter and amplified by James himself.

With training camp and the start of the new NBA season still weeks away, further clarity on the documentary question may not emerge until closer to when James’s on-court preparations with the 76ers begin in earnest, giving both supporters and critics of the potential project additional time to speculate about what, if anything, cameras might ultimately capture of James’s stated pursuit of a fifth championship during what he has indicated could be among the final seasons of his playing career.

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Wright to delay remedy pick, awaits Hancock appeal

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Wright to delay remedy pick, awaits Hancock appeal

Wright Prospecting wants to extend the time needed to make its choice over the form of remedy from the high-profile trial with Gina Rinehart-led Hancock Prospecting.

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CRA International: Asking Price To Get In On Demonstrated Growth Is Steep

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CRA International: Asking Price To Get In On Demonstrated Growth Is Steep

CRA International: Asking Price To Get In On Demonstrated Growth Is Steep

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