HS2 project should go-ahead ‘in full’, says leaked report

The HS2 project should go ahead “in full” – according to a leaked report in The Times.

The newspaper reports that the Oakervee review into HS2 says that despite the cost of the project soaring to £88bn, the Government should commit to the full high-speed rail network.

And the leaked report states that the procurement strategy for the first phase of HS2 – from London to Birmingham – has been a “failure”, with prices “significantly inflated”.

The review goes on to say that HS2 would benefit cities more in the Midlands and the North than London, and that there are no “shovel-ready alternatives” to improve rail capacity.

Oakervee’s review had been slated to be published after the forthcoming General Election because of purdah rules to ensure political impartiality.

The controversial high-speed HS2 network is intended to link London to Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds. But its implementation has been dogged by fierce debates and arguments over the cost of the scheme and which routes the network should follow.