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 [...]
No light at end of the tunnel: HS2 delay leading to higher costs as London Euston link nearing £5bn March 27, 2023 Delays linking up HS2 and Euston will mean extra costs and potentially even higher spending, the National Audit Office has warned ministers. A near 50-page report, looking specifically at the Euston element of the much delayed high-speed line, concluded that a “reset” in 2020 had “not succeeded”. It comes after Transport Secretary was criticised earlier [...]
Elizabeth Line usage soars by 41 per cent as London commuters get around tube and rail strikes March 17, 2023 One in six journeys on Britain’s transport network have been made on the new Elizabeth line, with 62m taken on London’s newest railway between October and December 2022. Out of almost 370m rail passenger journeys across the UK, Crossrail accounted for 41 per cent, according to new figures released by the Office for Rail and [...]
HS2 at risk of being ‘dismembered’ and never resurrected, peers warn government March 10, 2023 HS2 is at risk of being “dismembered” and never resurrected after further delays were announced by the Government, peers have heard. Cost-saving measures mean the construction of the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 will be delayed by two years and services of the high speed rail line may not enter central London until the [...]
Government plans to delay HS2 will cost the UK more in the long term, London business group warns March 9, 2023 Delaying the construction of HS2 to save money will cost the UK more in the long term, a London business group has warned after reports the government is set to announce further delays to the already over budget and overdue project. “Delaying construction of HS2 to save money is a false economy. Failing to invest [...]
HS2 could be delayed AGAIN in bid to curb ever-rising costs, project’s CEO says March 3, 2023 The HS2 rail project could be delayed among a number of potential options being considered to curb rising costs, the project’s boss has said. In an interview with the BBC, HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston said the impact of inflation on the project over the past year has been “significant… whether that’s in timber, steel, [...]
FRC chief Jon Thompson to leave audit watchdog to lead HS2 project February 9, 2023 The head of the UK’s audit watchdog, Jon Thompson, is set to step down to take up a new position as the chair of HS2. Thompson has handed in his notice to leave his job as head of the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) and will now serve out his six-month notice period, Sky News first [...]
Hunt: ‘No conceivable circumstances’ where HS2 does NOT reach Euston – as £1bn spend on its station is breached January 27, 2023 HS2 Ltd’s work at Euston started six years ago with more than £1 billion already spent, as chancellor Jeremy Hunt said it’s not “conceivable” it won’t reach London. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he did not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which HS2 would not run to its planned central London terminus at Euston, amid reports [...]