Exclusive: Taxpayers to front extra £4bn for recent HS2 delays Transport and infrastructure 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 faces two more years of delay amid ‘litany of failures’ Transport and infrastructure 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 Transport and infrastructure 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 [...]
Heathrow’s story goes up in flames May 28, 2025 Every weekday morning I’m up and ready to receive an important email that comes in at 6.30am. The email is sent by the producer of Nick Ferrari’s breakfast show on LBC, and it contains an initial plan for the stories that I’ll discuss with Nick on air exactly an hour later. It’s a slick routine [...]
‘A failed operator’: CrossCountry repeatedly missed own performance targets despite cutting services March 28, 2025 Struggling rail operator CrossCountry has repeatedly breached its own performance targets despite cutting services late last year as part of a recovery plan, City AM understands. The former Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, approved proposals by the operator to run a reduced timetable for three months between August and November after its performance was labelled “dire.” [...]
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 [...]
HS2 chair to step down as cost swells to £66bn December 17, 2024 The chair of the company behind High Speed Two (HS2) is to stop down next year, it has been announced. Sir Jon Thompson has served on the board of HS2 Ltd for almost four years after first joining as a non-executive director in April 2021. He was appointed as the company’s chair in February 2023 [...]
Louise Haigh quits as transport secretary after admitting to fraud conviction November 29, 2024 Louise Haigh has resigned as transport secretary after admitting pleading guilty to a criminal offence tied to her incorrectly telling police that a work mobile phone was stolen in 2013. Downing Street said Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander had been appointed to replace her. Haigh said in a letter to prime minister Keir Starmer on [...]