HS2 to be delayed by at least two years with transport secretary set to highlight ‘litany of failure’ on project

HS2 will be delayed by at least two years with the first trains between London and Birmingham unlikely to run before 2035, the transport secretary is expected to say today.

Heidi Alexander is due to present the findings of two reviews into the high speed line to Parliament, with one blaming cost overruns and missed deadlines on a “litany of failure”.

Alexander will tell MPs there is “no reasonable way to deliver” the line on schedule and within budget, according to the BBC.

One of the reviews was carried out by former Crossrail chief executive James Stewart, with the other conducted by current HS2 chief executive Mark Wild and focusing on the line’s remaining section between London and Birmingham.

As originally conceived, the project would have linked London with Manchester and Leeds via an interchange station in Birmingham, and was costed at £33bn when given the go ahead in 2012.

By the following year, the cost had increased to almost £50bn, which had more than doubled to £106bn, according to one estimate, by the time Boris Johnson committed to continuing the project in 2020.

It was cut back under following governments, with the Birmingham to Leeds stretch axed by Johnson in 2021, while Rishi Sunak scrapped both the leg between Birmingham and Manchester and the line’s central London terminus at Euston.

Wild’s review could lead to the surviving part of the line between London and Birmingham along being costed at more than £100bn, according to rail expert Christian Wolmar.

Alexander is expected to describe the project as an “appalling mess” caused by “constant scope changes, ineffective contracts and bad management”.

She is expected to blame part of the line’s problems on the decision of previous conservative governments to sign construction contracts despite being advised not to do so.

The 2020 Oakervee review had recommended that the government delay signing key deals until the scope of the project had been fully decided.

One Labour source told the Guardian: “The cost inflated out of all control, billions were wasted due to political indecision. There was a failure of ministerial oversight from the then transport secretary and a delivery company not fit for purpose. It’s a comedy of errors but no one’s laughing.”

Alexander’s statement comes after HS2 Ltd, the company building the line, reported one of its own subcontractors to HMRC after whistleblowers raised concerns about alleged tax fraud.

A firm which supplied workers to Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV), which is building the high speed line between London and Birmingham, is alleged to have been falsely declaring self-employed workers as PAYE.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: “We treat all whistleblower allegations seriously and are continuing to conduct our own investigation.

“Furthermore, HS2 Ltd has formally reported the allegations to HMRC, and we encourage anyone who believes they may have relevant information, which could support our enquiries, to report it in confidence via HS2’s Speak Out channels.”