Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has delivered a strongly critical statement on the future of HS2, confirming a major reset of the project alongside sharply revised cost and delivery timelines.<\/p>\n
In her address, she set out updated estimates for the high-speed rail scheme, the findings of a Cabinet Office-commissioned investigation ordered by the Prime Minister last year, and a warning that abandoning the project would cost as much as continuing it – but without delivering any of its benefits.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thebusinessdesk.com\/_files\/images\/may_26\/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-13.38.46-300x210.png\")
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander<\/p><\/div>\n
She confirmed that the overall cost of completing HS2 is now expected to be between \u00a387.7bn and \u00a3102.7bn (2025 prices), warning the final figure could rise further depending on delivery conditions.<\/p>\n
Timelines have also been pushed back substantially. The first services are now expected to run between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street between 2036 and 2039, while completion of the full route to Euston is not expected until between 2040 and 2043.<\/p>\n
A central theme of the statement was criticism of the previous government\u2019s handling of HS2, with Alexander saying the project had been left in a severely weakened state due to historic decisions, cost overruns and poor delivery planning.<\/p>\n
She told MPs that costs had increased substantially under the former administration, stating that \u201ccosts soared by \u00a337 billion under the previous government alone\u201d and that \u201cthe vast majority of HS2\u2019s previous budget was blown on completing around a third of the entire project.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also criticised the cancellation of northern sections after significant expenditure had already been committed, saying \u201cbillions of taxpayers\u2019 money was sunk into phase two work for the sections north of Birmingham before they were abruptly cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also told the House of Commons that: \u201cI can today confirm the previous government spent most of HS2’s budget without laying a single metre of its track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander said that after more than five years of construction and over \u00a340bn spent, the project was still not close to delivering an operational railway when the government changed in 2024, describing it as \u201cthe shocking legacy of the previous government.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said the current leadership at HS2 Limited was now overseeing a major reset programme, with a new chief executive and chair appointed and reforms under way, including around 300 back-office job cuts, a review of supplier contracts, tighter oversight of delivery, and improved real-time monitoring of construction progress.<\/p>\n
Despite these changes, she warned the scale of the challenge remained significant. New analysis from HS2\u2019s leadership shows the revised cost and schedule pressures remain substantial, with inflation and earlier underestimation both contributing to the increases.<\/p>\n
Alexander said the revised plan reflected lessons from previous reviews and would now be based on more robust forecasting, with cost and schedule ranges intended to improve realism and accountability going forward.<\/p>\n
She concluded by acknowledging public scepticism over repeated changes to the project\u2019s scope and timetable, but said the government was now focused on delivering HS2 \u201cat the lowest reasonable cost\u201d and restoring control over a programme that had previously \u201cbecome a symbol of failure.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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