Morgan quits High Speed 2 and Crossrail posts

Sir Terry Morgan has resigned as chairman of HS2 Ltd after only four months in the role. He has also quit as chairman of Crossrail Ltd, a role he has held since June 1 2009.

The announcement was made by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling on December 5, although reports had already surfaced that Morgan would lose his job. And Morgan himself told the BBC he expected to be sacked.

He has been replaced at HS2 Ltd by Allan Cooke CBE.

Morgan had also recently told the BBC he had “no doubt” that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was aware of delays to the Crossrail project in July, although Khan continually says he was only made aware at the end of August, just before the delays were confirmed.

The London Assembly Transport Committee has summonsed Khan to an extraordinary meeting on December 21 (along with Transport for London Commissioner Mike Brown), to explain the comments. Morgan has also been invited.

Chairman of the Transport Committee Caroline Pidgeon MBE said of the summons: “The Transport Committee and the public have put their trust in the Mayor that there will be transparency during his administration, and he has a duty to make sure this is the case.

“However, in recent weeks and months it has become increasingly clear that when it comes to the Crossrail project he is doing the opposite.

“The Mayor must come clean about when he knew about the Crossrail delay. It is essential for the sake of public trust and London democracy.

“The Committee has used its power to summons the Mayor of London as chairman of TfL and key documents, in order to give him a final chance to tell the truth and clear up this sorry mess.”

Refusing or failing to attend Assembly proceedings as required by a summons notice without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence.

Announcing Morgan’s resignation, Grayling said: “Sir Terry has been an integral part of Crossrail for almost a decade and I would like to thank him for his dedication and the expertise he brought to the role. I am also grateful to him for his work as chairman of HS2 Ltd.

“HS2 is the country’s biggest infrastructure project and, with his wealth of experience, Allan Cook is the right person to oversee the project as it progresses towards full construction.”

Cook is a chartered engineer with more than 40 years’ experience in the infrastructure, automotive, aerospace and defence industries. He said: “It is a privilege to be asked to take on this crucial role on UK’s biggest infrastructure project. HS2 will transform Britain through the creation of jobs and skills across UK industry. It will improve connectivity and passenger experience as well as creating value for the UK economy.”