HS2 to London could be delayed by a decade

Completion of central London section could be held back until 2041 to avoid massive overspend

The running of HS2 services to central London could be delayed by nearly a decade after the Government announced an overhaul of the construction timeline to bring down costs. In a statement to Parliament, Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, revealed that the Government would delay the completion of the part of the line into Euston until potentially 2041, as it looked to come up with a more affordable and deliverable station design.

THE running of HS2 services to central London could be delayed by nearly a decade after the Government announced an overhaul of the construction timeline to bring down costs.

In a statement to Parliament, Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, revealed the completion of the section of line to Euston could potentially be delayed until 2041, as it examines alternative station designs. If that happens, when the rail line opens, services would start at Birmingham Curzon Street and terminate at Old Oak Common in Acton, west London, and that part of the line would be prioritised to ensure that it is completed on time, in the early 2030s.

The Daily Telegraph understands that the delivery of HS2 into Euston, which was scheduled for 2033, would be aligned with the delivery of the line from Crewe to Manchester, which is expected to be completed between 2035 and 2041.

Mr Harper said: “We remain committed to delivering HS2 services to Euston” and the Government would ensure the line remained affordable.

However, yesterday’s changes cast doubt over whether it will be finished between 2035 and 2041 with significant changes happening to the delivery of the scheme so early in its construction.

HS2 was expected to cost £33 billion in 2010. However, cost increases and inflation have increased its budget to £71billion, and some expect it to exceed £100billion by the time it is built. This has led to the Government carrying out a series of reviews, in recent months, to try to bring down costs.

Mr Harper revealed that construction of the £7.6billion stretch from Birmingham

to Crewe would be pushed back two years to further cut costs. The Euston station project will cost around £2.6billion. However, the design of the station has been plagued with problems and much of the original design has been scrapped to reduce costs.

Hundreds of millions of pounds have been ploughed into work at the station, including significant tunnelling. HS2 cost-saving measures have been announced among large cuts by the Department for Transport to planned infrastructure schemes as inflationary pressures bite. They include plans to delay dozens of major road schemes, and significantly reduce the cash available for walking and cycling schemes.

Mr Harper said that his department’s capital spend plans had been hit by the headwinds of inflation and supply chain disruption “and we recognise that some schemes are going to take longer than expected”.

However, this was met with criticism by HS2 advocates who said the delays would not lead to cheaper delivery.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Delaying projects – whether it’s train lines or hospitals – doesn’t make them cheaper, it only holds back economic benefits and increases the overall scheme costs in the long run.”

Among other transport projects being delayed to save costs is the £9 billion Lower Thames Crossing project, which will be pushed back two years. The UK’S most expensive road project, a tunnel under the Thames linking Kent and Essex, it has been beset by planning delays.

A further 32 schemes to be delivered between 2025 and 2030 will not be started until after 2030 and may be canned. Mr Harper said: “This extra time will help ensure better planned, and efficient, schemes can be deployed more effectively.”

Hundreds of millions of pounds set aside for walking and cycling projects may also be axed. Sustrans, the active travel charity, believes the cuts could save £800million over this parliament.

‘This extra time will help ensure better planned, and efficient, schemes can be deployed more effectively’