HS2 trains ‘could run slower’ in effort to cut costs on embattled project
HS2 bosses could explore the possibility of making high-speed trains slower as ministers consider ways to cut spiraling costs on the beleaguered programme.
The government is expected to tell project leaders to formally explore the option of reducing the train’s speed to prevent them being sent abroad or experiencing delays in testing.
According to current specifications, the trains are set to have a maximum speed of 360 km/h (225 mph), making them the fastest trains anywhere in the world.
However, this can now be reduced. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander is said to be “considering all options” to get taxpayers’ time and money back.
Government sources say that if the trains are built to current speed specifications, they will either have to be sent to China and tested on existing tracks designed to run at that speed, or wait until such track is built in the UK.
They say this could delay completion by several years and cost billions of dollars more.
“It’s no secret that HS2 was initially conceived as a gold-plated project,” said a source with knowledge of the plans. Independent.
“After a series of failures, this government is working hard to get HS2 out of the dirt and get on with delivery.
“We will take every opportunity to recover as much time and taxpayers’ money as possible as we get the project off the ground, delivering this rail line as quickly as possible.
“This is the team that transformed the budget surplus and postponed Crossrail project into the much-loved Elizabeth line, we have done it before, we will do it again,” he said.
Last year Ms Alexander told the House of Commons that she was drawing “a line in the sand” over the project, which she described as a “terrible mess”.
He is expected to present the six-month update to parliament in a written statement on Monday afternoon.
HS2 was originally planned to run between Euston and Birmingham, then onto Manchester and Leeds, but the project was severely curtailed by the Conservatives while in power due to rising costs.
In 2013 it was estimated that HS2 would cost £37.5bn (at 2009 prices) for the entire planned network, including the scrapped extensions from Birmingham. But in June 2024, HS2 Ltd estimated that the line between London and Birmingham would cost up to £66bn.
The revised cost and schedule for HS2 will be published this year following a comprehensive review by CEO Mark Wild, who begins his role in December 2024.
A DfT spokesman said: “We do not comment on speculation.
“After years of mismanagement, bad decisions and rising costs, the Government has taken decisive action to reset HS2 and ensure the line between Birmingham and London is delivered safely at the lowest reasonable cost.
“We will share an update on the progress of the reset shortly.”
