www.bbc.co.uk
Words fail me that this now at least ten years away from opening to Birmingham and potentially thirteen years oh and it would have been even worse had the design speed of 360kmh been retained!!. Given where progress already is eg all tunnels completed the likes of Colne viaduct completed and the good progress being made getting into Birmingham and the delta jcn even ten years seems ridiculous. This is in the context that this report tells us civils progress was 10% better than planned and cost less than forecast in 25/25 so things dont add up.Also Euston services won't start until 2040, or potentially 2043!
HS2: Railway could cost up to £102.7bn and may not open until 2039, transport secretary says
Heidi Alexander told the Commons the railway, estimated in 2011 to cost £32bn, had become "a symbol of this country's decline".
Because the Mainline is at capacity, not fixing this will result in worser and worser service as the amount of passengers increase. Rather than commissioning endless reports and messing about with it, why don't the Government just commit to building it and stop worrying about short term gains.
Trouble is if that government happens to be a certain car loving public transport hating one.. Who I am sure would love to just cancel it completely
Yes, exactly that reason. Culling the project costed as being more expensive than continuing.
Completely discounted as an idea until Northern Powerhouse Rail is completed.
Because doing nothing is not a zero-cost option. It would cost the same to cancel what is left as it would to finish it, and what would we gain?
That's not the impression I got when watching the minister's statement to the house.
Seems to be a bit of both. The testing needs to be undertaken on the line itself once complete, so it will be some time between construction being complete and services being started, just as with the Elizabeth Line and its multitude of testing scenarios.
Its real complication was it was a logistical nightmare only having two ways in to the coal face. HS2 by comparison could mobilise access over multiple locations to get OLE up quicker for example yet its policy is to wait to the civils have been completed.
If I understand correctly (and I admit I may be mistaken), doesn't this preclude any increase in frequency beyond the 10tph without further infrastructure works on what would be (hopefully) a working railway
The project was sensible its execution has been catastrophic and despite numerous reports ive read into the debacle none explain where all the money and time has gone. Clearly political interference hasn't helped but project management has been nothing short of disastrous despite having the best paid people on the HS2 payroll and consultants galore filling their coffers. Its a real tragedy for the UKs reputation as we've proved more than capable to deliver projects of scale through the 19th and 20th century.
I think Crossrail problems pale compared to HS2. Crossrail has pretty much been delivered as promised. The HS2 rump is basically OOC-Birmingham. Euston, maybe (I can see that being cancelled, even if the rest limps on), Manchester, probably not, Leeds, never..
Presumably yes (such a geographically expansive cancellation has never happened before, although I note that Reform UK, at least of September 2025, would simply cancel HS2 and leave the semi-completed infrastructure in place like some sort of Ozymandias-like warning to anyone who might dare to build something ambitious in the future).
