HS2 to Run More Slowly & Cost More Than £100 Billion
The HS2 project is now expected to cost between £87.7 billion and £102 billion, significantly higher than previous estimates. The timeline for the first services has been pushed back to between May 2036 and 2039, with full operations expected by 2040 to 2043. The speed of the trains will be reduced from 360km/h to 320km/h, which may result in savings and a quicker delivery time.
- ▪The expected cost to complete HS2 is between £87.7 billion and £102 billion in 2025 prices.
- ▪First services from Old Oak Common to Birmingham are expected to start between May 2036 and 2039.
- ▪The full operation of HS2 services is now set to begin between May 2040 and 2043.
- ▪The speed of HS2 trains will be reduced from 360km/h to 320km/h.
- ▪The Department for Transport attributes the cost increase to project scope issues and inflation.
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| Original publisher | Guido Fawkes |
| Canonical URL | https://order-order.com/2026/05/19/hs2-to-run-more-slowly-cost-more-than-100-billion/ |
| Publication time | Tue, 19 May 2026 12:51:17 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-05-19T12:54:57.539Z |
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Announced as part of the HS2 update by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in the Commons: The new expected cost to complete HS2 is between £87.7 billion and between £102 billion in 2025 prices. The first services from Old Oak Common to Birmingham are expected to start between May 2036 and 2039. The full operation of HS2 services is now set to begin between May 2040 and 2043 HS2 will run at 320km/h (200mph). Was set to run at 360km/h (225mph). DfT says two thirds of the increase is “due to works being missed from the scope of the original project plan, underestimation by previous Governments, inefficient delivery – and the remaining third due to inflation.” It adds “the change in speed could deliver savings of up to £2.5bn and at least a year in delivery time, so communities can start to…
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