Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is set to announce that HS2 trains will operate at a reduced maximum speed of 320km/h (199mph), down from the originally planned 360km/h (224mph), as part of cost-saving measures. The Press Association understands that the Cabinet minister will inform the Commons on Tuesday of this decision, which aims to curb expenses on the high-speed rail project.
Speed reduction details
Despite the reduction, the trains will still surpass Japan's Shinkansen bullet trains, which reach up to 285km/h (177mph). The move follows a major review expected to criticise the 'gold plating' of HS2, including an excessive focus on achieving the highest possible speeds, as a contributing factor to the project's financial difficulties.
Review findings
Sir Stephen Lovegrove, former national security adviser, will highlight 'original sins' in the project's decision-making. Ms Alexander is also expected to unveil a new target cost for HS2, projected to be below £100 billion. The high-speed line from London to Birmingham, along with the now-abandoned extensions to Leeds and Manchester, was initially estimated at £32.7 billion (in 2011 prices) but has seen budget overruns.
Cost escalation
In January 2024, HS2 Ltd's then-executive chairman Sir Jon Thompson estimated the cost of building the London-to-Birmingham segment had reached up to £66.6 billion (in 2024 prices). The Transport Secretary will also outline a revised schedule for the line's opening, after confirming that the previous target window of 2029 to 2033 is no longer achievable. The first phase was originally planned to launch in 2026.
Government response
A Government source commented: 'The Lovegrove Report further confirms the astonishing extent to which previous Conservative governments had totally lost control of HS2, frittering billions of taxpayers' money away and leaving the project no closer to being finished than when it started. It has been a sorry mess, but this Government has done the hard yards to pull the project out of the dirt and deliver the better connections that have long been promised to the Midlands. Britain has the talent and capability to build big infrastructure projects. The Transport Secretary will harness that as she turns the project around.'
