HS2 may arrive seven years late

HS2 could be delayed by seven years and cost up to £22billion more than previously thought, the company building it has admitted.

In a statement to the Commons, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, said the anticipated costs of the highspeed railway had risen from £55.7 billion in 2015 prices to between £72 billion and £78 billion. In 2019 prices, that would amount to between £81 billion and £88 billion, eight times what the Channel Tunnel cost.

It was due to open in phases, with the final sections from Crewe to Manchester, and Birmingham to Leeds, completed by 2033. But the scheme is now not expected to be completed until as late as 2040.

The changes were outlined in a report by Allan Cook, the chairman of HS2 Ltd, who said the original plans “did not take sufficient account” of the effect of building a high-speed line through areas densely populated and with challenging ground conditions.

An independent review is to analyse whether the projected costs of the rail line are still “realistic”, as well as weighing up the costs of “reprioritising, cancelling or descoping the project”.

Mr Shapps said: “I want the House to have the full picture. There is no future in obscuring the true costs of a large infrastructure project – as well as the potential benefits.”

Labour said the delay was “bad news” for the UK, and the north of England in particular, and accused ministers of “utter incompetence”.