How much HS2 has cost so far as Manchester to Birmingham leg could be axed | UK News

Rishi Sunak is facing criticism as he’s reportedly considering scrapping part of the HS2 high speed rail link.

The prime minister is likely to make a decision about whether to go ahead with the Manchester to Birmingham leg in the coming days.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has suggested the scheme is ‘out of control’, and former transport secretary Grant Shapps said the government couldn’t write an ‘open-ended cheque’ if costs keep going up.

But the possible scrapping has drawn criticism from former prime ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson, mayors of London and Greater Manchester, Sadiq Khan and Andy Burnham, and some business leaders.

But what exactly is HS2 and how much has it cost so far? Metro.co.uk has the answers below.

What is HS2?

A project for a high-speed rail line linking some of the country’s largest cities, intended to connect London, the Midlands and the north of England, with construction split into three phases.

Gordon Brown’s Labour government set up HS2 Ltd in 2009 and the project has been backed by successive Conservative governments since 2010.

In 2020, then PM Mr Johnson recommitted his Government to the scheme following a review.

It follows HS1, which links St Pancras International in London to the Channel Tunnel and connects with Eurostar routes to Paris and Brussels.

How much has HS2 cost so far?

In 2013, HS2 was estimated to cost £37.5 billion in 2009 prices but the sums have continued to spiral.

A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015, but some reports suggest costs have now surpassed £100 billion, having been driven up by recent inflation rises.

The exact total spend so far isn’t yet known.

What were the original plans for HS2?

Phase 1: London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street, with intermediate stations at Old Oak Common in the western suburbs and at Birmingham Airport.

Phase 2A: To extend the line from Fradley in the West Midlands to Crewe in Cheshire.

Phase 2B: Comprised of an eastern leg from the West Midlands to the East Midlands and a western leg from Crewe to Manchester.

How have the HS2 plans changed?

The eastern leg between Birmingham and Leeds has been reduced to a spur line which is due to end in the East Midlands.

It was confirmed in March that construction between Birmingham and Crewe would be delayed by two years and that services may not enter central London until the 2040s.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper announced work at Euston would be paused for two years as costs were forecast to almost double to £4.8 billion.

The pause means Old Oak Common, in the capital’s western suburbs, will be the railway’s only London station when services to and from Birmingham Curzon Street begin between 2029 and 2033.

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