HS2

The former deputy head of the review into HS2 Lord Berkeley has written to the cabinet secretary Simon Case, calling for an investigation into whether parliament was misled over costs on the scheme. In a letter dated 9 July, Lord Berkeley alleged that ministers had failed to comply with the…

HS2 has started the search for ground investigation contractors to work on the phase 2b leg of the megaproject, which will run north from Birmingham. The £300m framework, set to last for eight years with the possibility of a two-year extension, will include onsite data collection through surveys and more…

Kier has been awarded a £50m early works contract for phase 2a of HS2. The firm will carry out major highways works and utility diversions, as well as some environmental surveys along the section of the high-speed line that spans 36 miles from Birmingham to Crewe. A statement from HS2…

The transport secretary has dismissed the idea that government infrastructure plans, including HS2, could be paused while an analysis of the pandemic’s impact on changing travel habits is carried out. Grant Shapps told MPs at a parliament transport committee this morning that national infrastructure plans are "absolutely, unequivocally" still worth…

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston believes the inflation of material costs will “level out” in the coming months but might not stabilise until early next year. He told parliament’s public affairs committee that material prices are likely to return closer to the levels at which the project had been planned.…

The cost to build HS2’s Old Oak Common station has risen by more than £600m since its contract was awarded, it has emerged. Mark Thurston told MPs at the public accounts committee last week that the cost of the build, which officially began last Tuesday, now amounts to £1.6bn. A…

Protests against HS2 have cost the project £75m, chief executive Mark Thurston has revealed. Speaking to parliament’s public accounts committee, Thurston called for more government support for the security of the project in the face of “increasingly violent and disruptive” action being taken against it. Thurston revealed that there have…

HS2 will ensure design work for phase two is at a more advanced stage before appointing contractors than it was on phase one, according to the line’s phase two MD Tim Smart. Smart said the change in approach was a result of lessons learned on phase one: “There’s no doubt…

HS2 is inviting bids for companies to deliver third-party telecommunication systems on phases one and 2a of the high-speed network. The £81m contract will see a contractor appointed to design, supply, install, test and commission the third-party systems, which will serve the mobile system for customers to use, as well…

Contractors will commence the first permanent works at Old Oak Common station later today in a “significant step” for the project. Transport secretary Grant Shapps will visit the site today to mark the start of permanent works on the station. Shapps said: “The start of permanent works at the largest…