The Chancellor has left open the possibility of a delay to the HS2 station at Euston, following a press report that soaring costs could see the high speed line terminate at Old Oak Common in West London.
The Sun reported last week that ‘subcontractors in their droves’ have warned HS2 Ltd that they cannot fulfil their contracts due to rising costs of concrete, steel and labour, without going bankrupt.
It said that in response HS2 bosses are considering scaling back the project, including delaying its Euston terminus to 2038 or scrapping it altogether. HS2 Phase 1 services are currently due to start between 2029 and 2033, initially from Old Oak Common, while both the link to central London and the terminus at Euston are being completed.
A computer generated image of the proposed triple-level station at Old Oak Common
Preparatory work at Euston is already under way. Earlier this month, Transport for London warned that this could cause disruption to Euston Road for years.
Although it has been suggested that using Old Oak Common as a permanent terminus could see passengers using the Elizabeth line to central London, the station, which is already in construction, has not been designed for this purpose.
On Friday Jeremy Hunt was asked by the BBC whether ministers were committed to the line going all the way to Euston. He replied: ‘Yes we are. And I don’t see any conceivable circumstances in which that would not end up at Euston.’
Mr Hunt’s comment does not rule out a significant delay in opening the central London link.
The chancellor added that he had ‘prioritised HS2 in the autumn statement’. He said: ‘We have not got a good record in this country of delivering complex, expensive infrastructure quickly but I’m incredibly proud that, for the first time in this last decade, under a Conservative government, we have shovels in the ground building HS2 and we’re going to make it happen.’
The Department for Transport did not expressly deny that the Euston terminus might be kicked into the long grass. A spokesman told the Sun: ‘The Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in the Autumn Statement.’
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