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 [...]
CMA to probe delivery of UK road and railway projects as costs soar June 19, 2025 The UK’s competition watchdog will launch a review into the delivery of UK road and railway infrastructure amid widespread delays and cost overruns. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its study would focus on “persistent issues around cost and delivery” of schemes across the country. It comes a day after the government delayed HS2 [...]
Labour must not overlook London when it comes to infrastructure spending June 19, 2025 The Spending Review saw investment in Scotland, the Midlands and the North but this not come at the expense of London, which is essential to the growth of the entire nation. The infrastructure strategy is a chance to correct the course, says Peter Hogg As the economic heart of the United Kingdom, London plays an [...]
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, [...]
‘I tried to warn them, but no one listened’ – one man’s crusade against HS2 June 12, 2025 “History will not be kind to those who, if it is pursued, push through this silly scheme.” It is not far off a decade since Lord Framlingham decided to take drastic action against HS2, the deeply troubled high-speed rail project connecting London and Birmingham. The former commons deputy speaker staged a last-ditch attempt to kill [...]
Spending Review: Colossal £25bn for HS2 eclipses other transport pledges June 11, 2025 HS2’s colossal funding package eclipses all other railway investment pledges that Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in her Spending Review. Reeves pledged £3.5bn investment into the Transpennine route upgrade and £2.5bn for East-West rail as part of the Spending Review. The Chancellor also set out plans to “take forward” the UK’s ambitions for Northern Powerhouse Rail, [...]
HS2 regrets failure to protect key whistleblower who raised cost concerns May 27, 2025 HS2 has said it regrets the treatment of a key whistleblower who was pushed out of the project after raising concerns that staff had artificially kept cost estimates low. Stephen Cresswell, a former senior HS2 cost analyst, will receive a substantial compensation payout after HS2 admitted partial liability following a case for unfair dismissal at [...]
Hercules PLC: Powering Britain’s infrastructure ambitions May 21, 2025 The UK stands on the cusp of an unprecedented infrastructure revolution. With governmental commitments indicating significant investment (plans previously cited at £700bn-£750bn), the nation is poised to transform its transport networks, energy systems, and digital infrastructure. This undertaking will not only require capital but also a large, skilled workforce that can adapt to the nation’s [...]