THE talk is of HS2, Britain’s high speed rail link, one day turning up at Lime Street
But a report today by the National Audit Office, warns rising costs and an unrealistic timetable might not even get it to Birmingham on time.
The Department of Transport has asked HS2 to consider delaying the opening of the first phase from London to Birmingham by a year from its scheduled 2026 towards the programmed opening.
Whether that will have a knock on effect as the railroad heads north to Crewe, Manchester and Leeds is, as yet, unknown.
With fears about rising costs, it will make the job harder for mayor Joe Anderson as he tries to convince HS2 Ltd and the Government of the need for Liverpool to be in the high speed loop.
Elsewhere, in the financially volatile post Brexit days, there is dark talk of it being scrapped altogether, never mind extend it to Merseyside.
Only yesterday, Lord Berkeley, chairman of the Rail Freight Group and a member of RTM’s editorial board, told the Financial Times: “The priority for the Government at this time will not be big sexy projects such as HS2.”
For now, HS2 Ltd says it is looking at costs, to keep the concept - as far as it already exists - within budget.
The Bill to create HS2 has yet to be finally approved by Parliament before asking the Queen to add her moniker, affording it Royal Assent.
What if there is a snap general election? What if new brooms in Downing Street take a different view to HS2?
What if George Osborne’s baby, the Northern Powerhouse, is drowned at birth? HS2 and its twin sister HS3 (Liverpool to the east coast) are seen as crucial elements of bringing northern cousins into closer harmony.
Hundreds of millions of pounds have already been spent on preparing for HS2, which is needed to resolve the problem of the overcrowded West Coast Line.
In its report the NAO said the 2026 target date for the opening of the first phase from London to Britain’s biggest provincial city, Birmingham, was at risk, despite good progress being made.
The ambitious new HS2 hub at BirminghamOptions for extending the opening date for Phase One are now being considered and steps are being taken to bring cost estimates within available funding, said the NAO report, adding HS2 Ltd has been asked to assess the impact of extending the timetable for opening the London to Birmingham phase by up to 12 months.
The link is budgeted to cost £56bn, but the NAO said phase one to Birmingham is currently forecast to cost £27.4bn, exceeding available funding by £204m.
Amyas Morse, who heads the NAO said: “HS2 is a large, complex and ambitious program which is facing cost and time pressures. 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.”
It seems passengers waiting on Platform 8 and a half at Lime Street for the first HS2 train to London, may be in for a very long wait.
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