Delays in building the final stretch of the high-speed railway HS2 to Euston Station in central London will mean extra costs and potentially even higher spending, a government spending watchdog has warned.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced earlier this month that “inflationary pressures” will cause delays to the construction of key parts of HS2.
He said the Birmingham to Crewe line will be delayed by two years and the final stretch from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston in central London will not be ready until some time in the 2040s.
An HS2 construction worker walks past the Euston station site in central London on Jan. 27, 2023. (PA)
The changes are set to see services not reaching central London for years to come. That means that, when the first part of HS2 is completed, passengers arriving in central London—for example on Eurostar trains from Europe—and wanting to travel on to Birmingham will have to take the Elizabeth Line to Old Oak Common in west London to board HS2….