HS2 project ‘unachievable’, says watchdog

Helen William

THE HS2 programme has been given an “unachievable” rating by the official infrastructure watchdog. A “red” rating was assigned to the plans for the construction of the first two phases of the rail line, from London to Birmingham and then on to Crewe, by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).

The red rating, contained in the IPA’s annual report on major projects released last week, states: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable.

Channel route.

The newspaper said the Spanish Cosmen industrialist family was one among the consortium, which has already had investor discussions over funding and routes.

Insiders cited by the paper said the service would be called Evolyn and could start running as early as 2025. Mobico was contacted for comment.

“There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.” HS2 was initially scheduled to open in 2026, but this has been delayed to between 2029 and 2033 due to construction difficulties.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said the government was “committed to delivering HS2 in the most cost-effective way for taxpayers.” PA