Business Travel News EuropeBusiness Travel News Europe
Business Travel News Europe
  • NEWSOpen Menu
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
  • FEATURESOpen Menu
    • View All Features
  • CONVERSATIONSOpen Menu
    • Interviews and Q&As
    • Guest columns
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Powered Up: The travel tech of today & tomorrow
    • The Future of Meetings
    • Smart Money: Cards, payments & expenses
    • The Journey Towards Sustainable Business Travel
    • Safety Measures: Risk, duty of care & wellbeing
    • Stepping It Up: Small & midsized travel programmes
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in business travel
    • Business Travel Rebooted
    • New Horizons: The 2022 sourcing guide
    • Wheels in Motion
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show Europe
    • Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off
    • Business Travel Awards Europe
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit Europe
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit Europe
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSOpen Menu
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
  • FEATURESOpen Menu
    • View All Features
  • CONVERSATIONSOpen Menu
    • Interviews and Q&As
    • Guest columns
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
  • RESOURCESOpen Menu
    • Powered Up: The travel tech of today & tomorrow
    • The Future of Meetings
    • Smart Money: Cards, payments & expenses
    • The Journey Towards Sustainable Business Travel
    • Safety Measures: Risk, duty of care & wellbeing
    • Stepping It Up: Small & midsized travel programmes
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in business travel
    • Business Travel Rebooted
    • New Horizons: The 2022 sourcing guide
    • Wheels in Motion
  • EVENTSOpen Menu
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show Europe
    • Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off
    • Business Travel Awards Europe
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit Europe
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit Europe
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
  • SUBSCRIBE
Business Travel News Europe
  • Business Travel News Europe on Twitter
  • BTN Europe on LinkedIn
  • BTN Europe on Facebook
  • NEWS
    • Accommodation
    • Air Travel
    • Ground Transport
    • Management
    • Meetings
    • On the Move
    • Payment & Expense
    • Technology
    • TMC & Distribution
    • Travel Procurement
    • Recent Issues
    SubscribeBTN Europe NewsletterBTN Europe Magazine
  • FEATURES
    • View All Features
    2023 Hotlist BTN EuropeThe 2023 Hotlist
    Shanghai ChinaThe great reopening of China?
    Europe from spaceA European tour

  • CONVERSATIONS
    • Interviews and Q&As
    • Guest columns
    • Podcasts
    • VIEW ALL CONVERSATIONS
    David DuffyHow the EU has fixed ESG
    Helen HodgkinsonLet payments shine a light on your environmental impact
    John Sturino, vice president of product and technology, EgenciaWhy business travellers need more control over their trips
  • RESOURCES
    • Powered Up: The travel tech of today & tomorrow
    • The Future of Meetings
    • Smart Money: Cards, payments & expenses
    • The Journey Towards Sustainable Business Travel
    • Safety Measures: Risk, duty of care & wellbeing
    • Stepping It Up: Small & midsized travel programmes
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in business travel
    • Business Travel Rebooted
    • New Horizons: The 2022 sourcing guide
    • Wheels in Motion
    Tools & ResourcesEurope's Leading TMCs 2022Booking tools – the essential guideCorporate Travel Index EuropeTravel entry requirementsBTN Europe podcastsBTSE Kick Off - CEO InterviewsRecent issues of BTN Europe
  • EVENTS
    • Webinars
    • Business Travel Show Europe
    • Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off
    • Business Travel Awards Europe
    • Business Travel Intelligence Summit Europe
    • Business Travel Accommodation Summit
    • Business Travel Tech Talk
    • Entertainment Travel Summit
    • Global Travel Risk Summit
    • Strategic Meetings Summit
    • Sustainable Business Travel Summit Europe
    • VIEW ALL EVENTS
    Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off

    Business Travel Show Europe Kick Off, 23 February,

    7th Annual Global Travel Risk Summit Europe

    Global Travel Risk Summit Europe, May 2023,

    Sustainable Business Travel Summit Europe

    3rd Annual Sustainable Business Travel Summit

  • SUBSCRIBE

Ground Transport

HS2 confirmed to be behind schedule and over budget

By Molly Dyson / 3 September 2019 / Contact Reporter
Share

The controversial HS2 project’s first phase is up to five years behind schedule and around £20 billion over budget, according to a report sent to transport minister Grant Shapps.

Shapps has received a report from HS2 Ltd’s newly-appointed chairman Allan Cook just weeks after Shapps announced the launch of an independent review into the high-speed rail link, which will be led by former Crossrail chairman Douglas Oakervee.

In his report, Cook said: “...the budget and target schedule for the programme have proved unrealistic, while at the same time the benefits have been understated.”

Cook’s report suggests the first phase of the project linking London and Birmingham, which was due to open for services in 2026, cannot be delivered until at least 2028, but potentially not until 2031, with a phased opening starting with trains between London Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street and later to Euston.

That means Phase 2b, a high-speed line to Manchester and Leeds, would not open until between 2035 and 2040.

Cook claimed the delay had occurred because the original plan did not account for the effect of building through more densely-populated areas, and because “ground conditions are significantly more challenging than predicted”.

Furthermore, Cook predicted that the HS2 budget set in 2013 and later updated to £55.7 billion in 2015 prices (£62.4 billion in 2019 prices) cannot be met and has suggested adjusting the budget to £81-£88 billion in 2019 prices.

Commenting on the report, Shapps said: “I want the House to have the full picture. There is no future in obscuring the true costs of a large infrastructure project – as well as the potential benefits.

“I said when I announced the independent review into HS2 that I now want Doug Oakervee and his panel to assess independently these findings from the chairman of HS2 Ltd and other available evidence. That review will provide independent recommendations on whether and how to proceed with the project.”

Last week, documents seen by the BBC suggested ministers and HS2 bosses knew the project was probably behind schedule and over budget 'years ago', yet chose not to reveal full details of the situation to Parliament.

Whilst HS2 has faced widespread criticism among both peers and MPs, the government has said work on the project will continue until the Oakervee review is completed and a decision can be made on the future of the railway.

More Ground Transport
Related
France votes to ban short-haul domestic flightsFrance’s Swile Travel expands partnership with Trainline
CTM-partnership-trainlineUK business travellers increasingly seek low carbon options
Eurostar Group aims to double traffic as new brand launchesEurostar Group aims to double traffic as new brand launches

SPONSORED CONTENT

The workplace has changed. Does your travel & expense match up?
The workplace has changed. Does your travel & expense match up?By Cytric by Amadeus

Does your travel & expense match up?... KEEP READING

The eight trends shaping ground transportation
The eight trends shaping ground transportationBy Enterprise National

Eight emerging ground transportation priorities shaping business travel in 2022 and beyond... KEEP READING

More Ground Transport

France’s Swile Travel expands partnership with Trainline
UK business travellers increasingly seek low carbon options
Eurostar Group aims to double traffic as new brand launches
French national strike causes major travel disruption

VIEW ALL
  • Most Read
  • Most Shared
  1. Amex GBT adopts ‘segment-driven model’ as Geall takes SME role
  2. Eurostar Group aims to double traffic as new brand launches
  3. Air France launches new business class cabin on long-haul routes
  4. The great reopening of China?
  5. Gray Dawes acquires Australian TMC to start global expansion
  1. Brexit challenges pile up for UK-EU business travel
  2. Netherlands government appoints business travel partners
  3. European hotel bookings approaching pre-Covid levels
  4. TouristMobile adds Torsten Kriedt to leadership roster
  5. Countries agree goal of achieving net zero for aviation by 2050
Business Travel News EuropeBusiness Travel News Europe
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • EDITORIAL CALENDAR
  • Business Travel Show Europe
  • Business Travel News Europe on Twitter
  • BTN Europe on LinkedIn
  • BTN Europe on Facebook
BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS EUROPE
NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP
Business Travel News
  • About us
  • Contact us
  • Advertise
  • Editorial calendar
  • Editorial guidelines
  • Subscribe to BTN Europe
  • Subscribe to BTN U.S.
  • Subscribe to Travel Procurement
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms & conditions
Northstar Travel Group
  • Corporate travel
  • Business Travel Show
  • Business Travel Awards
  • BTN U.S.
  • The Beat
  • Travel Procurement

  • Travel Technology
  • Travel Tech Show
  • Phocuswire
  • Phocuswright
  • Intelliguide
  • Meetings & incentives
  • M&IT
  • AMI
  • ConventionSource
  • M&IT Awards

  • Retail travel
  • Travel Weekly
  • Travel Pulse

  • Northstar Travel Group
  • View all Northstar brands
BTNGroup
Business Travel News EuropeBusiness Travel NewsTravel ProcurementThe BeatBusiness Travel Show Europe
Northstar Travel Group
Copyright ©2022, Northstar Travel Media Ltd, The Epworth, 25 City Road, London EC1Y 1AA, UK
RRManagement rrtestprocurement