BUNGLING civil servants could face a major investigation over the HS2 fiasco – as the project is delayed yet again and costs spiral out of control.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander today confirmed there is “no route” to hitting the 2033 target for trains to run between London and Birmingham.
AlamyTransport Secretary Heidi Alexander[/caption]
PAThe project has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs despite being scaled back[/caption]
And she revealed the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to consider whether mandarins and public bodies should face a formal probe for their role in the chaos.
A source close to Ms Alexander told The Sun: “We will make sure this mess can never happen again.
“That’s why the Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Secretary to immediately look at the role of the Civil Service and the wider public sector in HS2 – including whether an investigation is needed.”
The high-speed line was originally due to open in 2026 and stretch to Manchester and Leeds – but only the London to Birmingham leg remains, and even that now faces delays of two years or more.
Ms Alexander did not confirm a new completion date or cost, which some suggest could exceed £100billion – far above the official £57billion estimate at 2019 prices.
She said she was “drawing a line in the sand” after what she called a “litany of failure” spanning 15 years, with billions wasted on ineffective contracts, repeated changes, and scrapped designs – including £250million blown on two rejected station plans for Euston.
Two reviews published yesterday laid bare the scale of the failure: one by new HS2 boss Mark Wild warned the current scope, schedule and budget were “unsustainable”, while another by infrastructure adviser James Stewart blasted weak oversight and inconsistent ministerial involvement.
Ms Alexander said the previous government had pressed ahead with construction contracts despite a 2020 review warning against it, and that a Sunak-era ministerial taskforce for Euston “never even met.”
She promised a reset, with a new 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, fresh governance boards, and the appointment of former TfL boss Mike Brown – who helped deliver Crossrail – as HS2 Ltd’s new chair.
She told MPs it would take “a number of months” to confirm a final schedule and budget.
But Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the whole scheme should be scrapped, blasting: “Let’s scrap HS2, let’s use the tens of billions of pounds we can save in the next decade to upgrade railway lines across the entirety of the United Kingdom to the benefit of many millions, and spend the rest on other national priorities.”
Ms Alexander hit back: “We are not going to be a country that spends over £30 billion on rail infrastructure but then never sees a train running on it… “
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