HS2 delays and costs a 'bitter pill to swallow'

HS2 delays and rising costs will be a "bitter pill to swallow" for communities in the West Midlands, campaigners and regional leaders have said.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced on Tuesday the high-speed rail line between London and Birmingham would not open until between 2036 and 2039 - up to six years later than the most recent target.

The project could now cost as much as £102.7bn, while the top speed of trains will also be reduced from 360km/h (224mph) to 320km/h (199mph) in an effort to cut costs.

Lichfield MP Dave Robertson said the announcement was a bitter pill to swallow but others said HS2 was already bringing investment and jobs to the region.

Engineering work has been going on in and around Lichfield as that is where the route will link into the West Coast Main Line. Robertson said people in Staffordshire had already endured years of disruption because of the scheme.

"Today's announcement will be a bitter pill to swallow for so many people in our part of Staffordshire," Robertson said.

"The scale of failings over more than a decade and a half are staggering.

"The ballooning budgets and over runs that have become so commonplace under previous governments should never have been allowed to happen."

He added the latest announcement "has to be the day when the page gets turned on the mismanagement of the past" and called for certainty over when the project would be completed.

HS2 was originally announced in 2012, with plans to connect London with Birmingham before extending to Manchester and Leeds.

The Manchester and Leeds legs were later scrapped by previous Conservative governments amid concerns over costs.

Alexander told MPs on Tuesday that the revised cost estimate for the project now stood at between £87.7bn and £102.7bn in 2025 prices.

She also confirmed services between Birmingham Curzon Street and Old Oak Common in west London were expected to begin between May 2036 and October 2039, while trains would not reach London Euston until at least 2040.

When the project was first announced it was predicted the journey from Birmingham International to London would take 39 minutes but that time will now be longer. Birmingham International serves Birmingham Airport.

Business leaders in Birmingham said the delays would cause concern locally but encouraged the government to maintain momentum on the project.

Raj Kandola, deputy chief executive of the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce, said HS2 was already bringing investment and jobs to the region.

"We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that HS2 is already delivering for the West Midlands, supporting thousands of jobs and unlocking billions of pounds worth of major investment around Curzon Street, Interchange and Washwood Heath," he said.

"The priority now must be maintaining momentum so Birmingham and the wider region can fully realise these benefits while ensuring value for money for taxpayers."

A Birmingham Airport spokesperson said the review "provides the clear milestones everyone needs to work towards".

"BHX is a key region that can ease the pressure on the nearing full London Airports and thus creating greater choice for travellers," they said.

"We now need to maintain momentum and focus. It is vital that all partners work together to ensure HS2 is completed efficiently so that communities, businesses and the wider economy can realise its benefits as soon as possible, and we will continue to work closely with the HS2 team on this."

Others said the impact of years of construction work was continuing to affect businesses in Birmingham city centre.

Lyle Bignon, Birmingham ambassador for the Night Time Industries Association, said venues and hospitality firms near Curzon Street had faced "years of road closures, restricted pedestrian access, noise disruption, reduced visibility and continued uncertainty".

"Today's announcement by the Transport Secretary that services may not begin operating until 2036 at the earliest will be deeply frustrating for many small businesses, venues and suppliers already affected by years of disruption and uncertainty," he said.

Solihull MP Saqib Bhatti added: "Communities in Balsall Common and Berkswell have long suffered from the devastation caused by HS2.

"I now just want them to get on with it and leave villages in my constituency alone."

Meanwhile, campaign group Stop HS2 said the latest figures were "absolutely shocking", with chair Penny Gaines adding: "They've spent something like £44bn and they've got at least another £44bn to spend, and that's with their lowest cost estimate."

The government said lowering the top speed of trains could save £2.5bn and allow the railway to open a year sooner.

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