HS2 at risk of being derailed, warns spending watchdog

Britain’s next high speed railway was under threat on Tuesday, after the public spending watchdog warned of major cost pressures on the project.

The National Audit Office said the £56bn HS2 project, which consists of a super fast railway between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds currently has an “unrealistic timetable”.

As currently planned, the first part of HS2 between the capital and Birmingham will be completed by 2026, with the second stage from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds to be finished by 2033.

But the office has said the completion date for the first stage remained “at risk,” despite the project making good progress so far.

It also cautioned that the forecast cost of the stage currently stood at £27.4bn, which is £204m more than is currently available.

The National Audit Office appeared less concerned by the second stage, which was also over budget but with potential savings already identified.

“HS2 is a large, complex and ambitious programme which is facing cost and time pressures,” said Comptroller and Auditor-General Sir Amyas Morse.

“The unrealistic timetable set for HS2 Ltd by the Department [for Transport] means they are not as ready to deliver as they hoped to be at this point.

“The Department now needs to get the project working to a timescale that is achievable,” Morse added.