Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026 · HC 78

Letter from the Secretary of State for Transport relating to HS2 reset, dated 19 May 2026

Summary

Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander reports on the HS2 reset. After £40 billion spent and five years of construction, the project is unfit for delivery under original plans. The government accepts revised estimates: £87.7–£102.7 billion total cost, with the opening stage (Old Oak Common to Birmingham) expected between May 2036 and October 2039. Maximum operating speed reduced to 320 km/h to align with European standards, potentially saving £1–£2.5 billion and at least one year.

Key findings

Cost estimates revised sharply upward to £87.7–£102.7 billion (mixed price base) from original forecasts, with past estimates deemed clearly inaccurate.
Opening stage delivery pushed back to May 2036–October 2039 for Old Oak Common to Birmingham route; full scheme completion May 2040–December 2043.
Maximum speed reduced from original specification to 320 km/h, bringing HS2 into line with proven European high-speed standards and reducing testing and certification risk.
Cost reduction of £1–£2.5 billion and at least one year delivery time claimed achievable through the speed reduction and reduced complexity.
New cost and schedule estimates use same methodology as successful Crossrail reset, employing independent experts and published as ranges to improve credibility.

Tone

Factual

Topics

infrastructuretransport-policypublic-financerail

Key actors

Heidi Alexander, Mark Wild, HS2 Ltd, UK Government, Department for Transport

Notable line

“HS2 had become a symbol of decline. When I last gave an oral statement to Parliament on this subject, I was clear …”

Key Quotes

“… after more than five years of construction, and over £40 billion spent, the country is no closer to having an operational HS2 railway than when construction first began. Instead of signalling this country's ambition, HS2 had become a symbol of decline.”
— Heidi Alexander · assessment of the project's status

“… the expected cost of completing HS2 is now between £87.7 billion and £102.7 billion. This is expressed in a mixed price base, including the cash outturn of works to date and the costs of future work excluding inflation.”
— Heidi Alexander · revised cost estimate

“… the delivery of HS2's opening stage is now expected between May 2036 and October 2039. This will see the first trains running between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street.”
— Heidi Alexander · revised schedule for first stage

“We will still run some of the fastest trains in Europe, but this change lowers the costs of testing and makes delivering the project less risky.”
— Heidi Alexander · reduction to 320 km/h operating speed and claimed savings

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗