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Sun, 17 May 2026

Sun, 17 May 2026 HS2 failings blamed on high-speed focus and political pressure

A new reviews confirms the high-speed rail line's "original sins" include a technical design, changing political priorities and ballooning costs.

* A review into HS2's failure due to high speeds and political pressure is expected to be published this week.
* The Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, asked HS2 bosses to lower top speeds to save money in March.
* The review, authored by Sir Stephen Lovegrove, is expected to agree with previous findings that "original sins" included changing priorities and ballooning costs.
* Trains will not start running on the current target date of 2033, and an updated price tag for the project is expected to exceed £100bn.
* The HS2 project has suffered rising costs and delays due to its focus on achieving high speeds and "gold-plating" a bespoke design.
* Key structures have been completed as part of the construction phase, including a 10-mile tunnel under the Chilterns and the Colne Valley viaduct.
* Work on some sections, such as the line towards Handsacre, has been slowed or paused to focus spending on areas that had fallen behind.
* The project's delivery company, HS2 Ltd, is undergoing a "reset" under the leadership of Mark Wild.