The government has today (Wednesday 18 June) admitted that HS2 will not be running trains from 2033 as planned.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander also announced that she is to accept all the recommendations of the James Stewart Review into the “mismanagement” of HS2.
The government commissioned the report in October 2024.
It presents evidence what the Department for Transport calls “the historic mishandling” of HS2, including:
- lack of ministerial oversight and scrutiny
- inadequate control of the project by HS2 Ltd
- lack of effective incentives in the supply chain.
Together, these failings will cost the public purse billions of pounds more than planned.
Secretary of State Alexander gave a statement to Parliament, in which she condemned the “litany of failure” that has plagued HS2.
The statement explained that unless the government takes action, Phase 1 of HS2 is at risk of becoming one of the world’s most expensive railway lines.
Costs could rise by £37 billion, in addition to the £2 billion wasted on cancelled Phase 2 works.
The government is claiming to have “taken decisive action to get back control of HS2”.
Its measures include:
- appointing new leaders to reset the project
- commissioning the James Stewart Review
- reducing financial delegations to HS2 Ltd
- limiting what the Company can do without government approval
- providing £25bn in the recent Spending Review to support this work.
The Transport Secretary set out how the Department will implement Mr Stewart’s five main recommendations:
- To address the lack of effective Ministerial oversight, the HS2 Task Force has been re-established.
- To provide stricter cost control, the Department is requiring HS2 Ltd and its suppliers to negotiate incentives that ensure cost savings.
- To deal with lack of capability, skills and trust, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Wild, will reform the organisation, bringing a focus on building the rest of HS2 safely and at the lowest reasonable cost.
- To address the lack of clarity on Euston station, the government has committed funding to begin tunnelling from Old Oak Common to Euston, and will provide further information in dute course.
- To learn lessons for the wider transport portfolio, the government will change how infrastructure is delivered, with more detail to be given in the upcoming 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy.
Ms Alexander confirmed that Mike Brown will take over as HS2 Ltd Chair, and will work alongside CEO Mark Wild to deliver a “programme reset”.
Mark Wild’s initial assessment was also published today.
It reiterated that the overall project in terms of cost, schedule and scope is unsustainable, and concluded that train services will not be running by 2033 as previously planned.
“This must be a line in the sand. This Government is delivering HS2 from Birmingham to London after years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight. Mark Wild and Mike Brown were part of the team, with me, that turned Crossrail into the Elizabeth Line – we have done it before, we will do it again. Passengers and taxpayers deserve new railways the country can be proud of, and the work to get HS2 back on track is firmly underway.”
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander
Responses
Good job the HS2 management weren’t building the railways back in the 19th Century, nothing would have been built. I doubt if I will see HS2 running in my lifetime, same with the Bedford to Cambridge EWR project. Everything seems to get so bogged down in red tape in the UK.
What an utter fiasco HS2 has been!
I’m not sure that proposed government measures to improve matters, like reducing financial delegations to HS2 management and limiting what HS2 management can do without government approval, will actually improve matters. With the glacial speed at which any government action happens, these are likely to slow progress even further.
I know the Victorian era was a simpler time, but I can’t help noting that Brunel managed to build the London to Bristol railway without any modern machinery, just using horses and manpower, and actually start running trains on it within 3 years.
HS2 London to Birmingham would have taken 14 years for pretty much the same distance, if the 2033 opening was going to be achieved. It’s now going to take even longer.