The UK government is set to reveal the latest cost estimate and completion timeline for the HS2 high-speed railway on Tuesday, with Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander expected to provide the first official budget update in 2026 prices. Supporters hope the figure will remain well below £100 billion.
Slower Trains to Reduce Costs
Alexander will outline when trains are expected to start running between London and Birmingham as part of a long-awaited reset of HS2's construction and contracts. The project was delayed beyond 2033 last year. To trim expenses, plans may include reducing the top speed from 360 km/h to 320 km/h, closer to European standards. Additionally, the installation of automatic train operation systems could be scrapped, as they are primarily used on high-frequency metropolitan lines.
Critical Reports Highlight 'Original Sins'
Excerpts from a critical report commissioned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and written by former national security adviser Stephen Lovegrove have been released, criticizing the initial project's 'gold plating' and excessive focus on top speeds. The report echoes findings from James Stewart's 2023 review, noting that changing objectives and political pressures led to premature contract awards without proper risk sharing.
Lovegrove's report states that senior officials felt pressured by ministers to keep the project moving, questioning why the government failed to identify failures at HS2 Ltd and whether the Department for Transport had adequate oversight.
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 taxpayer’s 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.'
HS2 was initially approved in January 2012 with a £32 billion budget for a Y-shaped line to Manchester and Leeds, but was reduced to a single line between London and Birmingham in 2023. Designs for the London Euston terminus are still pending.
