BRITAIN’S new high speed rail network WILL be delayed, ministers finally admitted today, but trains will eventually go to London.
Just weeks after HOAR blew the lid on HS2 chaos, they revealed it would be kicked back another two years thanks to soaring costs.
The high speed rail line has been kicked back again
Construction of the super speedy line – which will go from London up to Crewe via Birmingham – will be delayed by another two years, Transport Secretary Mark Harper said.
He blamed “significant inflationary pressure and increased project costs” for the delay.
In a written ministerial statement, he said: “The Government is committed to delivering HS2 Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe.
“We have seen significant inflationary pressure and increased project costs, and so we will rephase construction by two years, with an aim to deliver high-speed services to Crewe and the north west as soon as possible after accounting for the delay in construction.”
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a review of the pricy scheme last year when he got into No11 in a bid to slash soaring costs.
Anything “low value or low performing” faces huge cut backs – including the flagship infrastructure project.
Mr Harper also announced a number of road projects announced by Boris Johnson would also be put back for another five years – meaning they could be scrapped if the Tories lose the next election.
HOAR revealed last month chaos at the heart of the multi-billion pound project, which has already been beset by spiralling costs.
Ministers were even weighing up whether the line would go directly into central London at all as they mulled a five year delay.
They have already spent a staggering £20billion on the HS2 line so far, which is set to increase capacity on the busy lines.
Today ministers promised that it would – but it isn’t set to open for another 12 years until 2035.
Mr Harper said: “We remain committed to delivering HS2 services to Euston, and will address affordability pressures to ensure the overall spending profile is manageable.
“We will therefore take the time to ensure we have an affordable and deliverable station design, delivering Euston alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester.”
Labour said the delay mean the North was again having to “pay the price” for failures.
Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh MP said: “Tens of thousands of jobs and billions in economic growth are dependent on this project.
“The North is yet again being asked to pay the price for staggering Conservative failure.
“Conservative chaos and chronic indecision is holding back jobs, growth and costing the taxpayer.”
But Northern leaders welcomed the news that the Crewe – Manchester part of the line was still alive – for now.
Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, added: “Delaying projects – whether it’s train lines or hospitals – doesn’t make them cheaper, it only holds back economic benefits and increases the overall scheme costs further in the long run.”
The Confederation of British Industry warned the delay would knock investor confidence and could spiral costs even more.
John Foster, the CBI’s policy unit programme director, said: “Having been subject to significant revisions and years of uncertainty, business will at least have the clarity needed to enable them to plan effectively.
“But this news will ultimately reduce investor and contractor confidence in the rail sector.
“To mitigate further loss of confidence, it is critical that government tackles the inflationary pressures which are biting hard across the infrastructure sector.
“Delays to projects may create short-term savings, but they can ultimately lead to higher overall costs and slow down the UK’s transition to a better, faster and greener transport network”.
