Starmer rejects ‘great rail betrayal’ tag – but refuses to commit to HS2 in full September 22, 2023 Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is not guilty of the “great rail betrayal” that Labour has accused the Government of by not committing to building HS2 in full. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said the costs of the high-speed rail project to the North are “getting totally out of control” as Rishi Sunak refuses to [...]
‘Higher costs, poorer services’: London business chief slams Whitehall failings September 20, 2023 The boss of an influential London lobby group has said a "British disease of short-termism" is holding the capital's economy back
New contract for one of Britain’s least reliable train operators – and beleaguered Avanti September 19, 2023 One of Britain’s least reliable train operators has been handed a long-term contract renewal. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that CrossCountry, whose network stretches across large parts of the country, will continue to run services. It also renewed Avanti West Coast’s contract. Office of Rail and Road (ORR) figures show the equivalent of 6.8 [...]
Another HS2 mess: Downing Street refuses to guarantee it will run to Manchester September 14, 2023 Downing Street has refused to guarantee the HS2 railway line will run to Manchester as planned.
HS2 may never open at Euston. But it might kill Drummond Street’s Indian restaurants anyway. September 2, 2023 Tehreem Riaz, 53, has lived on London’s Drummond Street almost her entire life. Known for its vibrant atmosphere and Indian cuisine, the area is home to some of the capitals’ oldest South Asian restaurants and is the birthplace of household brand Patak’s Pickles and the national Indian sweet shop, Ambala Sweets. Riaz and her parents, [...]
HS2 status update: Now they’re burying the diggers August 10, 2023 Engineers are being forced to bury diggers at Old Oak Common in case ministers give the go-ahead for project's Euston leg
HS2 chief executive quits as soaring costs and delays continue to mount July 12, 2023 HS2 Ltd’s longest serving chief executive has announced his resignation from the project amid ongoing criticism over soaring costs and delay. 56-year old Mark Thurston – who was paid a salary of £617,300 in 2021/22 – will depart at the end of September after six and a half years at the helm. In a statement [...]
Is HS2 a ‘rail to nowhere’? MPs quiz Harper on viability of delayed £1.2bn Euston project April 19, 2023 In a committee hearing this morning, transport secretary Mark Harper admitted that HS2’s Euston developments were “significantly” greater than the initial budget allocated. His comments followed confirmation that the £1.2bn tunnel from Old Oak Common would be paused until 2024. Harper faced an array of strong questions relating to Euston’s Old Oak Common section of [...]
HS2’s £1.2bn London Euston project pause confirmed, but length of delay unclear April 18, 2023 A delay on constructing a 7.2km HS2 tunnel to Euston until 2024 has been confirmed, with the project’s final shape remaining unclear. Both the DfT and HS2 did not disclose how long the delay would be for, when approached by City AM. The government has delayed the development between Euston and Old Oak Common due [...]
Is HS2 holding up the UK’s construction industry? Output up but housebuilding continues to fall April 6, 2023 Civil engineering rose at its highest level since 2009 in March, according to a leading global index which measures the monthly construction output of the UK economy. At 50.7 in March, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global /CIPS UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) – which measures month-on-month changes in total industry activity – was [...]