Those opposed to it dispute those claims, saying that the money would be better spent on improving rail capacity elsewhere, and that it will blight homes and damage the environment where the route is to be built.Ī report in January 2020 by the National Audit Office (NAO) - the spending watchdog - said HS2 Ltd had not accounted for the level of uncertainty and risk in the plans. They say it will deliver growth, particularly in the English regions, and have a positive impact on jobs. Governments have insisted that HS2 - whose cost will largely be borne by the taxpayer - is a good investment for the country. Image: 70 new viaducts are being built on the London-West Midlands phase alone That appeared to suggest a total of around £70bn. They showed that costs for the first phase and western extension of the project, added to money already spent, were now estimated to total just under £68bn, with an unspecified part of £12.8bn in "eastern core network" spend also going on HS2. The curtailment of HS2's eastern leg looks likely to curb costs but to what extent remains unclear from figures published in the IRP. Lord Berkeley, former deputy chairman of the government's independent review into the project, had said it could climb to £107bn. In early 2021, the DfT's latest estimate of the cost of HS2 has spiralled even higher stood and early in 2021 stood at between £72bn and £98bn. In June 2013, the coalition government increased the overall cost to £42.6bn and in November 2015, when the figures were updated, in line with inflation, to £55.7bn. Image: Trains will run from London to Birmingham Curzon Street in Phase 1 of HS2Īt the time of the 2010 election, estimates of the cost of HS2 ranged upwards of £20bn.īy January 2012, when the broad route of the proposed scheme was in place, this had risen to £32.6bn. Phase 2a - the section from the West Midlands to Crewe - has an amber rating meaning it is "feasible" but that "significant issues already exist requiring management attention". Phase 1 has an amber/red rating meaning delivery is "in doubt, with major risks or issues apparent in a number of key areas". In its 2020-21 annual report, the IPA gave Phase 2b of the scheme - comprising extensions to the north - a red rating meaning successful delivery "appears to be unachievable". Meanwhile, the government's Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA) has flagged serious concerns about the project. In August 2019, the government announced an independent review of the programme to advise on whether to proceed. Reasons for the delay include a year spent revising cost and schedule estimates for Phase 1 and more time being needed for construction at various sites. Image: Labour set up a company to look up proposals for a high-speed line in 2009īy July 2019, the government accepted that timetable was no longer feasible and the expected completion dates were pushed back.
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