HS2 boss explains why costs have spiralled by a ‘terrible’ £60bn

PoliticsBusiness & Finance
20 May 2026 • 6:57 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

HS2 boss explains why costs have spiralled by a ‘terrible’ £60bn

  • The HS2 rail project's budget has doubled, with the estimated cost now ranging from £87.7 billion to £102.7 billion in 2025 prices, nearly £60 billion more than initially projected.
  • The target opening schedule for HS2 has been delayed by 13 years, now expected between May 2036 and October 2039.
  • HS2 chief executive Mark Wild called the cost increase "terrible news," attributing it to "immaturity of design" when work started, but expressed confidence in the new robust estimates.
  • Transport secretary Heidi Alexander announced that trains will run slower than planned, at a maximum of 320kmh (199mph), and blamed "failures of successive Conservative governments" for the "obscene increase in time and costs."
  • Wild warned that canceling the project could cost between £33 billion and £58 billion, while a former Tory minister, Sir Gavin Williamson, called for the "busted project" to be brought to a close.

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