Britain’s government tries to trim the £56bn cost of HS2
Axeing the three-mile extension to Euston could save £8bn
TAKING A CAB from Euston station in central London used to be a grim experience. In the 1960s the taxi rank was put in a poorly ventilated underground garage known as “the gas chamber”. In January cabbies were cheered when the rank was moved above ground to make way for HS2, a planned high-speed railway between London and the north of England. Yet fears are growing that Boris Johnson’s government could derail the project.
HS2 is not a done deal. Some £4bn ($5bn) of work has been completed, including exhuming 45,000 bodies from a graveyard at Euston to make way for new platforms. The rest of the cash was to be released this autumn if the project was on track to stay within its £56bn budget. But that looks unlikely. In December HS2’s chairman resigned over rising costs. Last month his replacement warned that the bill could overrun by £30bn.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline "A speed bump"
Britain August 17th 2019
- How rising rail fares and falling punctuality undermine confidence
- Britain’s government tries to trim the £56bn cost of HS2
- Boohoo’s business model is as cheeky as a bikini paired with chaps
- A rebellion against house-building spells trouble for the Tories
- Brexit could cause a crisis that drags in even the queen
- Labour plans a shake-up of English university admissions
- Attacks on Arsenal players shed light on Britain’s diverse underworld
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