Jorge Da Silva
Established Member
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...-come-clean-on-soaring-costs-of-hs2-gknqwstbt
Set to be delayed from 2026 and costs to go up to £80bn
Set to be delayed from 2026 and costs to go up to £80bn
Ballooning costs and delays to the HS2 rail link are expected to be confirmed by transport secretary Grant Shapps.
The cost of building the north-south railway, which is intended to run from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, is expected to rise from £56bn to about £80bn.
Boris Johnson has ordered a review of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project, which could lead to its top speed being cut from 225mph, or the plan being scrapped altogether. Shapps is set to reveal the soaring costs in a statement to parliament this week, and to say the London to Birmingham leg will not open as intended by 2026.
It is understood that a director at one of HS2’s biggest suppliers is joining the rail link, raising further questions about potential conflicts of interest in a project beset by controversy.
David Bennett is leaving engineering giant Jacobs to become interim delivery director — the latest in a string of senior staff to switch sides.
America’s Jacobs has a £350m deal to deliver the London-Birmingham leg of HS2, after its acquisition of CH2M in 2017. It also has a £965m contract to dig tunnels and build a viaduct.
HS2 was engulfed by controversy in 2017 over its closeness to CH2M, which led to the engineer handing back a £170m contract. HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston was hired from CH2M.
HS2 said: “Our chief executive has spoken publicly about the cost pressures . . . and we are working closely with our contractors to ensure value for money for the taxpayer.”
It added: “David Bennett is joining the project as delivery director . . . until a permanent appointment is finalised.”