The HS2 rail project was last week 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 high-speed line, from London to Birmingham and then on to Crewe in Cheshire, by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).
The rating, contained in the IPA’s annual report on big projects, says: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. 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.”
This month, HS2’s chief executive, Mark Thurston announced his resignation after delays and cost pressures for the railway project. He is to leave his role in September after six and a half years leading the government-owned company.
HS2 was initially scheduled to open in 2026, but is now projected to open between 2029 and 2033 because of construction difficulties and rising costs. A budget of £55.7bn for the whole project was set in 2015 but the target cost, excluding the eastern leg of Phase 2b from the West Midlands to the East Midlands, has risen to between £53bn and £61bn at 2019 prices.
In March, the transport secretary, Mark Harper, announced that work at Euston would be paused for two years as costs had ballooned to £4.8bn compared with an initial budget of £2.6bn.
Thurston’s resignation announcement came while Phase One of the project between London and Birmingham is at peak construction, with major work taking place at more than 350 sites. The IPA is the Government’s centre of expertise for infrastructure and major projects. It sits at the heart of government and reports to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Spades are already in the ground on HS2, with 350 construction sites, over £20bn invested to date and supporting over 28,500 jobs. We remain committed to delivering HS2 in the most cost-effective way for taxpayers.
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“HS2 will bring transformational benefits for generations to come, improving connections and helping grow the economy.”