Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has delivered a major update on the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, revealing that the scandal-hit scheme may not be completed for another 17 years. In a statement to the House of Commons, she outlined new cost estimates and a revised timetable, with first services potentially not running until 2039 and full completion possibly delayed until 2043.
New Cost Estimates and Timetable
Ms Alexander said the cost of finishing HS2 is now expected to be between £87.7 billion and £102.7 billion. The first services are now anticipated to run from Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street between May 2036 and October 2039, while the full scheme between Euston and Handsacre junction is expected to be delivered between May 2040 and December 2043. This marks a significant delay from the original plan, which aimed for the first phase to launch in 2026.
Reduction in Train Speeds
To save money and construction time, the maximum speed of HS2 trains will be lowered to 320 km/h, down from the originally planned 360 km/h. Ms Alexander criticised the previous focus on record speeds as a Tory "vanity project," stating that the UK is not the size of China and does not need trains that fast. The reduced speed brings HS2 in line with other high-speed networks such as HS1, Japan's Shinkansen, and France's TGV.
Ms Alexander told MPs: "It talks about the focus, and I quote, on the highest possible speeds, resulting in bespoke and highly engineered design. To translate, it was a massively overspent folly with the prospect of the fastest trains anywhere in the world tickling the fancy of Conservative ministers. If we were a country the size of China, I could understand it. But we are not. Passengers just want reliable trains that turn up when they're supposed to."
Review of HS2 Failings
The update accompanied a major review of HS2 failures conducted by former National Security Advisor Sir Stephen Lovegrove. The report criticises "changing objectives and political priorities" over the years, as well as the relentless focus on achieving the highest possible speeds. Ruth Cadbury, chair of the transport select committee, said the review is intended to help learn lessons not just for HS2 but also for other infrastructure projects.
Ms Alexander highlighted what she called a "litany of failure" under the previous Conservative governments, accusing them of spending most of HS2's budget without laying a single metre of track. The original cost estimate for the London-to-Birmingham line was £32.7 billion (in 2011 prices), but this has spiralled dramatically. In January 2024, HS2 Ltd's then-executive chairman Sir Jon Thompson estimated the cost had reached as much as £66.6 billion.
Consideration of Scrapping the Project
The Financial Times reported that Labour ministers commissioned an internal review into whether scrapping the entire project would be better value for money than continuing. The review found that abandoning the scheme, which has already cost an estimated £40 billion, would cost at least as much as completing it. HS2 Ltd's Mark Wild warned the Department for Transport that cancelling a programme of HS2's scale is "unprecedented in the Western world."
In a letter, Wild explained that land would need to be fully remediated, including demolishing all built assets and returning land to its original condition, which would cost nearly as much as completing the project. A spokesperson from the High Speed Rail Group said: "The challenges that have affected HS2 to date are now well understood. With this reset, a line can start to be drawn under years of uncertainty. The priority now is for industry, Government and HS2 Ltd to work together to deliver HS2 within its revised scope."
