The chancellor insists the HS2 line will serve central London | News

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Jeremy Hunt has insisted the HS2 will run through central London amid speculation the line will terminate on the outskirts of the city.

The chancellor said he saw “no conceivable circumstance” in which the line would permanently terminate at Old Oak Common in west London, rather than Euston Central Station.

The Sun reported that ministers were weighing whether to cancel Euston station or delay it until 2038 due to escalating costs for steel, concrete and labour. Travelers will have to use the Elizabeth Line in central London to finish their journeys, adding time to what is intended to be a high-speed journey. The Elizabeth Line will have a new station between Acton Main Line and Paddington.

“I don’t see any conceivable circumstance in any circumstance,” Hunt said [the line] It won’t end up in Euston,” he said, adding: “I’ve prioritized HS2 in the autumn statement. We don’t have a good track record in this country for quickly delivering complex and expensive infrastructure. But I’m very proud that for the first time in this last decade under a Conservative government, we’ve got shovels in the ground, we’re building HS2 and we’re going to make it happen.”

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His comments did not rule out a delay to Euston’s stop. It was reported that consideration was being given to delaying the entire project in hopes of lower inflation. HS2 bosses have admitted that the first phase of the high-speed line to the north of England is running “several billions” of pounds over its £44 billion budget.

Sources tell The Sun that the cost of the initial phase is likely to be more than £60 billion by the time the first train is in operation. One former HS2 employee said: “There are a number of options for cutting costs – either you scrap Euston, or you have to slow down the whole project and hope inflation comes down.”

Lord Berkeley, a Labor peer who was deputy chair of the HS2 review commissioned by Boris Johnson in 2019, said he believed the entire project should be scrapped.

He said: “The alternative in the news is to use Old Oak Common as a terminal station, which will run for half as many trains as they want with a little bit of remodeling, but it won’t do much.

“There isn’t enough room for that so they can’t do that except maybe a shuttle from Birmingham. What’s the point of building HS2 just to get to Birmingham? I think the whole thing should be scrapped.”

He claimed that the investment in the project would be better spent on improving the railways to the north, east and west, “rather than going to London a little faster”.

The project envisions a new station adjacent to Euston station. Work has already begun

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in its autumn statement. As well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the project will connect regions across the UK, improve capacity on our rail and provide a greener option.” for travel. “

The potential for delays at the London station was examined in HS2’s “full working condition” published by the department in 2020. It said the target timeframe for services commencing between Old Oak Common and Birmingham was 2029-2033, while for trains between Euston and the northwest of England, it said The range was 2031-2036.

The document also said: “Euston is an important part of realizing the benefits of HS2 and work should continue on the section from Old Oak Common to Euston.

“Nevertheless, Euston is a very challenging and complex major programme, and given its current status, Old Oak Common is expected to act as a temporary end for a while.”

The consultant says the HS2 station will remain in Euston, London

Henri Murison, chief executive of Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said the London terminus for HS2 had to be “central”, adding: “Even for the north of England, not going to Euston has major disadvantages”.

Today he told BBC Radio 4: “People in the north of England, people in Birmingham, they’re going to want to get into central London – that’s what they currently have through the normal mainline network.

“And so, for traditional services, we have direct access into central London, in the same way that Piccadilly station is in central Manchester. You need those stations to be centrally located.”

Significant preparatory work has taken place at Euston in recent years, with the construction of a 4.5 mile tunnel between Old Oak Common, the station expected to start next year and take two years to complete.

HS2 last year revealed plans for London station, which features an “innovative” roof that would emphasize Euston’s north-south alignment and its role as a “regional gateway”, the company said.

Andrew Stephenson, then HS2 Minister, announced in October 2021 that the number of platforms at Euston would be reduced from 11 to 10 following recommendations from a government-commissioned Oakervee review to save money and improve efficiency.

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