The former transport secretary has said it would be “crazy” not to review plans for the HS2 rail link as costs have soared.
Grant Shapps told the BBC that the Ukraine war and a spike in inflation mean any government would need to make “serious decisions” on affordability.
The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.
The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.
HS2 is intended to link London, the Midlands and the north of England – the first part, between west London and Birmingham, is in mid-construction.
But the scheme as a whole has already faced delays, cost increases and cuts – including to the planned eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds.
The last official estimate on HS2 costs, excluding the cancelled eastern section, added up to about £71bn.
This was in 2019 prices so it does not account for the spike in costs for materials and wages, for example, in recent months.
The numbers were given to Parliament in June and include up to £26bn for the whole of Birmingham to Manchester. They also exclude what is left of the eastern leg, and a scrapped Golborne link in Cheshire.
The former transport secretary has said it would be “crazy” not to review plans for the HS2 rail link as costs have soared.
The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.
Grant Shapps told the BBC that the Ukraine war and a spike in inflation mean any government would need to make “serious decisions” on affordability.
HS2 is intended to link London, the Midlands and the north of England – the first part, between west London and Birmingham, is in mid-construction.
The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.
The BBC understands a definitive decision on HS2 could be made as soon as this week.
HS2 is intended to link London, the Midlands and the north of England – the first part, between west London and Birmingham, is in mid-construction.
But the scheme as a whole has already faced delays, cost increases and cuts – including to the planned eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds.
The last official estimate on HS2 costs, excluding the cancelled eastern section, added up to about £71bn.
This was in 2019 prices so it does not account for the spike in costs for materials and wages, for example, in recent months.
The numbers were given to Parliament in June and include up to £26bn for the whole of Birmingham to Manchester. They also exclude what is left of the eastern leg, and a scrapped Golborne link in Cheshire.
#HS2 #039Crazy039 #review #project #soaring #costs #Shapps
Note:- (Not all news on the site expresses the point of view of the site, but we transmit this news automatically and translate it through programmatic technology on the site and not from a human editor. The content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.))
