Exclusive: Taxpayers to front extra £4bn for recent HS2 delays July 2, 2025 Recent delays to HS2 have increased costs for taxpayers by up to nearly £4bn, according to a government document detailing the value of mega-projects in the UK. The Office for Value for Money, a cost-saving unit set up by Rachel Reeves, found deferrals over the last two years would increase costs on Phase 1 from [...]
HS2: Can it be pulled back from the brink? June 18, 2025 For anyone who has followed the debacle surrounding HS2, the transport secretary’s scathing verdict on Wednesday will come as no surprise. The “appalling mess” of HS2, as Heidi Alexander put it, means there is “no route” to delivering the scheme on time and on budget. Shock. HS2’s costs were already known to have exceeded more [...]
HS2: Transport secretary confirms two-year delay after ‘shambolic mess’ June 18, 2025 Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has confirmed that HS2 will be delayed by at least two years, slamming previous handling of the project as an “appalling” and “shambolic mess”. The embattled high-speed rail link will be pushed back beyond 2033 following a “litany of failures” outlined in two reports by HS2 boss Mark Wild and KPMG’s [...]
HS2 faces two more years of delay amid ‘litany of failures’ June 18, 2025 Ministers will delay HS2 by at least another two years and outline a “litany of failures” which have led to costs on the project spiralling out of control, in the latest storm facing Britain’s biggest infrastructure project. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will present the findings of two scathing reports into the project on Wednesday afternoon, [...]
Eurostar to launch direct services from London to Frankfurt and Geneva June 10, 2025 Eurostar has announced plans to launch direct services from London to Germany and Switzerland for the first time. The cross-channel operator is looking to purchase 50 new trains at a cost of £1.7bn to service the routes, which are expected to run from the “early 2030s”. Journey times are expected to last around five hours [...]
Spending review: Rachel Reeves pledges £15.6bn for regional transport June 4, 2025 The government has made its biggest spending announcement since Labour’s drubbing at the local elections in May, with a pledge from Chancellor Rachel Reeves to double investment in local transport over the next five years. A £15.6bn cash injection will form a major pillar of the 11 June spending review, which the Treasury says would [...]
South Western becomes first rail service renationalised under Labour May 25, 2025 The government’s renationalisation of rail services has started as trains operated by South Western Railway (SWR) were taken into public control. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who travelled on the first renationalised departure from London Waterloo, said it was “a new dawn for our railways”. SWR was previously owned by Firstgroup and MTR Corporation, but is [...]
Luton Airport appoints former Labour cabinet minister as new chair May 5, 2025 Luton Airport has appointed former Labour cabinet minister and peer Lord John Hutton as chair as it presses ahead with plans to significantly expand capacity. Lord Hutton served in both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s cabinets as Secretary of State for Defence, Business and in the Department for Work and Pensions, where he led initiatives [...]
Gatwick is worst airport for flight delays for second year in a row April 21, 2025 Gatwick has retained its position as the UK’s worst airport for flight delays, as it continues to suffer from air traffic control (ATC) disruption. Departures from the West Sussex airport were an average of more than 23 minutes behind schedule in 2024, according to analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data by the PA news [...]
Government approves Lower Thames Crossing March 25, 2025 Ministers have given the go-ahead to the £10bn Lower Thames Crossing road tunnel, one of the most expensive infrastructure projects in UK history. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander approved the development consent order (DCO) for the scheme on Tuesday. It will be funded primarily by the private sector, according to the Financial Times, confirming speculation after [...]