WATCH: HS2 to run into central London, says Hunt
The HS2 rail line will go as far as London Euston, the chancellor has said, following reports that the scheme may no longer reach the center of the capital.
The Sun reported that rising inflation and construction costs mean trains may end up in west London instead.
The paper said bosses were considering pushing back its Euston terminus to 2038, or scrapping it altogether.
Jeremy Hunt said he did not “see any conceivable circumstances” why it “would not arrive at Euston”.
HS2, or High Speed 2, was originally intended to connect London with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
The leg to Leeds was later scrapped.
The Sun reported that the move would mean trains would run from a new hub at Old Oak Common, some 8km (five miles) away, and commuters would have to use the Elizabeth Line or Tube to travel to central London.
When asked if he, and the government, were committed to HS2 going all the way to London Euston, Jeremy Hunt said: “Yes we are and I don’t see any conceivable circumstances why that wouldn’t end at Euston.”
Earlier, in a speech setting out his long-term vision for economic growth, the chancellor said HS2 was “a specific priority for me in the Autumn statement”.
He said the government was “absolutely committed to showing we can deliver big major infrastructure projects”.
“That’s why in the Autumn Statement we protected key projects such as HS2, East West Rail and core Northern Powerhouse Rail,” he said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government is “committed to implementing the plans that it has announced by rail”.
The Sun also reported that a two to five year delay of the entire project is also being considered.
Speaking at Bloomberg’s European headquarters in London, Mr Hunt said he was “incredibly proud that under a Conservative government for the first time we have shovels in the ground”.
“But big infrastructure projects are still taking too long and if we want to deliver our ambitions, we need to find a way to speed them up.”
Martin McTague of the head of the Federation of Small Businesses said HS2 was a “huge boost” for economic prospects in the Midlands.
“It’s part of the leveling process and I think if it’s missing in west London then that defeats a lot of the aims of the line,” he told the BBC.
HS2 Ltd has cleared land near London’s Euston mainline station in preparation for the scheme’s terminus
Work on the first phase of the project – between London and Birmingham – is well under way and that part of the line is due to open by 2033.
But the project has faced delays and growing concerns about the exact route and its potential environmental impact.
The estimated cost of HS2 was between £72 billion and £98 billion at 2019 prices. A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015 – but that was done before the Leeds leg was cancelled.
A report published last October found it was unlikely the £40.3bn target for the first section of the line would be met.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said HS2 was “experiencing high levels of inflation” and it was working with “suppliers actively to mitigate inflationary increases”.
Research by the Department of Commerce, Energy & Industrial Strategy and the Office for National Statistics published in September showed that building materials across the UK experienced inflation of 18% from August 2021 to August 2022.
Mr Harper said inflation does not affect the “overall affordability of HS2 in real terms”, but it “creates pressures on its existing annual funding commitments”.
Henri Murison, CEO of the Northern Power Partnership said that if the HS2 rail link did not go to Euston, this would have “some significant disadvantages”.
“Because people in the north of England, people in Birmingham will want to get access to central London – that’s what they currently have on the normal mainline network,” he told the BBC.
However, Lord Tony Berkeley questioned whether more services to London were necessary and said that money would be better spent on local and regional services.
The Labor peer, who in 2019 was deputy chair of a government review into HS2, said: “My view is that we need to aim for the regions – the north and the midlands – to have a commuter service as good as in the south-east.”
The head of the National Infrastructure Commission told BBC News in November that cutting the HS2 rail route would be “stupid”.
“I think you’ve got massive investment, what happened in Birmingham before HS2 – it just shows what can happen. And Manchester of course equally now is seeing investment off the back of HS2. I think that would be a very strange decision,” he said
Pressure group Stop HS2 said it believed the project would increase carbon emissions and damage areas of natural beauty. Protesters, including veteran eco-protester Swampy, built tunnels in an attempt to disrupt HS2 construction.
A senior Department for Transport figure warned last week that “quite difficult decisions” could lie ahead for the scheme.
Is HS2 still going to Euston?
HS2, Britain’s new high-speed rail link, is facing a massive blow to the project’s prestige. Reports in the UK claim that the line will no longer reach Euston in central London and will be cut back to Old Oak Common, the vast interchange planned for the west of the city.
Is HS2 train still going ahead? Phase One will open between 2029 and 2033. The new line will run on 140 miles of dedicated track. Four brand new stations and two new depots will also be built. There are now more than 29,000 jobs supported by the program and more than 2,760 businesses have delivered work on HS2 so far.
Are trains still running to Euston?
There are no reported outages.
Are tubes running from London Bridge to Euston?
Yes, there is a direct train departing from London Bridge station station and arriving at Euston station station. Services depart every five minutes, and operate daily. The journey takes approximately 11 min.
Have trains to London been cancelled?
There are currently no Line Updates reported. There are currently no Train Cancellations reported. There are currently no Train Formation updates reported.
Is HS2 going ahead 2022?
2022 – a year of huge progress From the tabling of the Bill to take HS2 to Manchester, establishment of initial sites on phase 2A in Staffordshire, the first tunnel breakthrough and then a complete end-to-end journey through the HS2 tunnel, and an amazing . progress at all four phase one station locations.
Has the HS2 route been confirmed?
This route has been confirmed.
What has HS2 cost so far 2022?
As the cost of this earlier project work ceased to be of future benefit to HS2 Ltd, the associated costs were reported as an “impairment” in HS2 Ltd’s published annual report and accounts for 2021/22. The phase 2 budget remains unchanged, with a cost range of £5.2 billion to £7.2 billion.
Is HS2 going to Euston?
There will be a brand new ticket hall with direct links to Euston Square station and from HS2 platforms. For the first time, tube passengers will have seamless connections between the Northern, Victoria, Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan Lines at Euston.
Is Euston station affected by HS2?
Euston will be the station where HS2 trains start and end in London.
Which London station will HS2 use?
Euston will be the London terminus for HS2, bringing services to the heart of the capital.
What has gone wrong with HS2?
Could HS2 still be cancelled? However, a DfT spokesman claimed the scheme was going ahead. “There are no plans to cancel HS2, this vital project is already well underway, contributing significantly to the UK’s economic growth and laying the foundations for further schemes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail,” the spokesman said.
Why do people protest against HS2?
According to the group, construction of the railway and its related services will destroy forests, affect local ecosystems and increase carbon emissions.
What is HS2 protest?
A group of HS2 protesters who disrupted work by spending 47 days in underground tunnels at Swynnerton in Staffordshire have been given prison terms. HS2 Ltd applied to commit seven activists for breaching the injunction in place above ground.
Who opposes HS2 and why?
Political parties The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is opposed nationally and locally to the proposed HS2 plans. UKIP campaigned against HS2 as it is also part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy.
Where did it all go wrong for HS2?
Ground conditions were worse than assumed by HS2 Ltd, making the task of building the track more difficult, needing more reinforcement and materials in areas where engineers hoped to use the freshly excavated rock. Another year is now thought to be needed for soil to settle before further work can proceed.
What are the main challenges faced by the HS2 project?
The proposed brilliant ideas and concepts should be addressed to the three innovative challenges of HS2: the circular economy, the environment and productivity. For each challenge, the government-funded company has defined three questions that will help inventors generate their proposals.
What are the negative impacts of HS2?
Ecosystems permanently damaged. Irreplaceable habitats destroyed. Taxpayer money spent on habitat restoration wasted.
Why should HS2 be stopped?
According to a comprehensive assessment of HS2’s potential impact on nature and wildlife along the proposed route by The Wildlife Trust, an alarming number of wildlife sites will be put at risk including: 5 internationally designated nature reserves; 33 Places of Special Scientific Interest; 21 Local Nature Reserves; …
What are the negative impacts of HS2?
Ecosystems permanently damaged. Irreplaceable habitats destroyed. Taxpayer money spent on habitat restoration wasted.
Who opposes HS2 and why?
Political parties The UK Independence Party (UKIP) is opposed nationally and locally to the proposed HS2 plans. UKIP campaigned against HS2 as it is also part of the EU’s Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Policy.
Has the HS2 route been confirmed?
This route has been confirmed.
Will HS2 ever be completed? High Speed 2 (HS2) is a planned high-speed rail line in England, the first phase of which is under construction in stages and ready for completion between 2029 and 2033, depending on approval for later stages.
Has HS2 phase 2 been Cancelled?
The eastern leg of HS2 phase 2b between Birmingham and Leeds has been scrapped by the government as part of its Integrated Rail Plan (IRP) for the Midlands and the North.
What is the current status of HS2?
2022 – a year of huge progress From the tabling of the Bill to take HS2 to Manchester, establishment of initial sites on phase 2A in Staffordshire, the first tunnel breakthrough and then a complete end-to-end journey through the HS2 tunnel, and an amazing . progress at all four phase one station locations.
Will HS2 be cancelled 2022?
“There are no plans to cancel HS2, this vital project is already well underway, contributing significantly to the UK’s economic growth and laying the foundations for further schemes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail,” the spokesman said.
What is the current status of HS2?
2022 – a year of huge progress From the tabling of the Bill to take HS2 to Manchester, establishment of initial sites on phase 2A in Staffordshire, the first tunnel breakthrough and then a complete end-to-end journey through the HS2 tunnel, and an amazing . progress at all four phase one station locations.
Is HS2 currently being built?
Phase One of HS2 will see a new high-speed rail line built from London to the West Midlands, where it will join the existing West Coast Main Line. Services will travel onwards to places such as Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Preston and Wigan. Phase one will open between 2029 and 2033.
Is HS2 Phase 2 going ahead?
The Government wants part of Phase Two – the route between the West Midlands and Crewe – to open in 2027, six years ahead of the rest of Phase Two, so that the North and Scotland can realize the benefits of HS2 to people. and places earlier.
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