Massive blow to HS2
Further cutbacks and delays means the route will not reach central London until 2041.
By ‘Industry Update’
THE Government dealt a major blow to the HS2 project on March 9, when it announced that Euston would not be reached until 2041 – almost two decades from now – and that Old Oak Common would become the ‘temporary’southern terminus.
The decision to proceed with HS2 was taken at the start of January 2012, with construction organised into two phases for an initial line between London Euston and Birmingham, followed by two spurs to reach Manchester and Leeds.
There would also be a number of connecting sections linking the high-speed route to HS1 (St Pancras-Channel Tunnel) and the West Coast, Midland, and East Coast Main Lines. Parliamentary powers for Phase 1 were granted in February 2017 and as far as Crewe for what was described as Phase 2a in February 2021. Plans for Phase 2b, which would allow construction between Crewe and Manchester with stations at the airport and Piccadilly, were also well advanced.