Time ticking on HS2: Work ‘must start within 67 days’ to avoid further delay to £106bn project January 24, 2020 The controversial HS2 rail project was delivered a stark deadline this morning, as the government spending watchdog declared the scheme would be delayed even further unless construction begins in the next 67 days. In its fourth report on the project in the last seven years, the National Audit Office (NAO) also said the Department for [...]
HS2: Grant Shapps says problem is with capacity ahead of February decision January 22, 2020 Grant Shapps has placed more doubt over the future of the HS2 rail line, saying the problem is about capacity rather than speed. The transport secretary said that while a final decision would be made in February, he was examining alternatives. Shapps said it was vital that the government get the facts right before embarking [...]
HS2 Q&A: Where is the route, how much will it cost and when will it open? January 20, 2020 Today’s forecast that the cost of HS2 could soar as high as £106bn will come as no surprise to close observers of the project. The number, calculated by infrastructure consultant Michael Byng, is in line with Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s prediction last year that the project will come in “north of £100bn”. But the figure [...]
HS2: Pressure mounts on Boris Johnson from all sides after leaked review January 20, 2020 Britain’s business groups have demanded Boris Johnson press on with the HS2 rail line as soon as possible, as the pressure mounts on the PM to make a decision on the divisive project. It comes amid today’s revelations that the government-commissioned review of the scheme is set to predict the cost could rise to £106bn. [...]
HS2 costs could hit £106bn, leaked review warns January 20, 2020 Building HS2 could cost up to £106bn, according to a leaked government-commissioned review that reportedly outlines a 20 per cent rise in costs to the UK infrastructure project. The review into the controversial high-speed rail link project warns of “considerable risk” that costs could balloon further from HS2’s original budget of £32.7bn. The government has [...]
Dissenting HS2 report revives calls for government to release official review January 5, 2020 Whitehall is facing growing clamour to release its official review into the HS2 rail line, after a former insider slammed the project in his own dissenting report over the weekend. The Rail Industry Association (RIA), which represents contractors working on HS2, urged the government to publish its independent review into the line “swiftly” after Lord [...]
MPs were ‘misled’ on HS2 cost, says former deputy of government review into project January 5, 2020 Parliament was “misled” over the costs of the High Speed 2 rail project, according to the former deputy chairman of the government’s independent review into the line. Lord Tony Berkeley said the cost of the project is “out of control” and could be as much as £107m, three times the original estimate, in his own [...]
Four London infrastructure projects that unravelled in 2019 December 23, 2019 Boris Johnson “loves infrastructure”. At least, that’s what the Prime Minister said when he was asked about the High Speed Two rail project on the campaign trail earlier this month. And it is just as well. Because some of London’s biggest infrastructure problems are creaking at the seams. If the PM were not so keen on [...]
Costain shares plunge after Welsh arbitration leaves it £20m out of pocket December 12, 2019 Costain shares plummeted 16 per cent today after it warned profit will be about £20m lower than expected after an arbitration case over a Welsh motorway project. The announcement follows a ruling that found the firm shared responsibility for design information on the A465 road project with the Welsh government, a partial reversal of a [...]
HS2 needs government support, not more dithering and debate November 21, 2019 Last week, a leaked draft of the HS2 review revealed recommendations that the controversial project should go ahead as planned. This has sparked some debate, with opponents citing the project’s escalating costs and delays. Yet, when builders’ timescales and budgets for even small-scale domestic construction projects are almost always optimistic and therefore taken with a [...]