Jeremy Hunt says its ‘inconceivable’ HS2 won’t run to central London

A former Treasury minister today hit out at the ‘completely insane’ idea that HS2 might never reach central London amid claims of a fresh setback to the multi-billion pound project.

The Government has refused to confirm the beleagured high-speed rail project will run to its central London terminus at Euston following reports of a rethink due to rising costs.

The Sun said soaring inflation meant the high-speed rail project may not reach Euston until 2038 or a planned new station be scrapped completely.

Trains would instead stop at a new hub at Old Oak Common in west London’s suburbs, with passengers completing their journeys into central London on the Elizabeth Line.

The newspaper also reported that a two to five-year delay to the entire project, previously estimated to cost as much as £106billion, is being considered.

Project bosses have previously said phase one linking London to the West Midlands is due to open between 2029 and 2033. 

But Chancellor Jeremy Hunt today declined to rule out a delay to HS2 when asked whether he could promise the project would be completed on time and on budget. 

He said HS2 was a ‘specific priority’ for him at last year’s Autumn Statement – when he committed to delivering high-speed rail to Manchester – and said he was ‘incredibly proud’ that there are ‘shovels in the ground’ on the London to Birmingham leg.

But Mr Hunt admitted it was a ‘source of national embarrassment’ that Japan had opened their first high-speed rail line as far back as 1964 – more than a decade before Britain.

‘We are absolutely committed to showing that we can deliver big, important infrastructure projects and – by the way – I think they’re extremely important for levelling up,’ the Chancellor said, after delivering a speech in central London this morning.

Earlier, former Treasury minister Jim O’Neill – who served in David Cameron’s government to work on the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ project – claimed it would be ‘completely insane’ for HS2 not to run to central London.

The crossbench peer said it was ‘quite astonishing’ that news of a possible rethink of the project had emerged on the same day as Mr Hunt’s first major speech as Chancellor.

He told Sky News: ‘What would be the point of this never-ending saga of HS2 if it doesn’t even go into the centre of London? It seems completely insane.’

Meanwhile, a peer behind an HS2 review commissioned by ex-prime minister Boris Johnson claimed the entire project should be scrapped.

Lord Berkeley was deputy chairman of the Oakervee Review into HS2, commissioned by Mr Johnson in August 2019.

The then-PM gave the railway the green light to proceed in February 2020, despite the review warning that the total cost could reach £106 billion (at 2019 prices).

Lord Berkeley, a long-term sceptic of HS2, said billions of pounds would be ‘much better spent on improving the railway lines in the north, east and west, than going to London a bit quicker’.

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: ‘As well as the obvious difficulties for travellers needing to then change train to get into central London, Old Oak Common simply does not have enough platforms to deliver a full service between London and Manchester, never mind to Leeds and beyond.

‘I struggle to believe that Jeremy Hunt, a longstanding advocate for HS2, would ever support such a nonsensical plan.’

The Government refused to deny the reports that HS2 might be delayed or may never reach Euston.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘The Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in the Autumn Statement. 

‘As well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the project will connect regions across the UK, improve capacity on our railways and provide a greener option of travel.’

Phase One of HS2 involves the railway being built between London and Birmingham, with the line extended from the West Midlands to Crewe in Phase 2a.

Phase 2b will connect Crewe to Manchester and the West Midlands to the East Midlands.

The planned extension to Leeds was controversially scrapped in November 2021.

Complexities around the Euston site meant high-speed services were already due to temporarily start and end at Old Oak Common, with passengers using the Elizabeth line to travel to and from central London.

That would add at least half an hour onto journeys to and from Euston.

A ‘full business case’ for HS2 published by the DfT in April 2020 stated that the target timeframe for services launching between Old Oak Common and Birmingham was 2029-2033, whereas for trains between Euston and north-west England the range was 2031-2036.

The document also stated: ‘Euston is an important part of realising the benefits of HS2 and that work should continue on the section from Old Oak Common to Euston.

‘Notwithstanding this, Euston is a very challenging, complex major programme and given its current status, Old Oak Common will be expected to operate as a temporary terminus for a period of time.’

Nigel Harris, managing editor of Rail magazine, described scrapping HS2’s Euston station as ‘catastrophic’ as there would be ‘no incentive’ for people to switch from West Coast Main Line services.

He said: ‘If you’re flying into Heathrow, you don’t want to go to Southend. That’s effectively what you’d be doing.’

Mr Harris added that Euston is ‘being built right now’ with billions of pounds already spent on preparatory work and buying up property.

Construction of a 4.5-mile long tunnel between Old Oak Common and Euston was expected to begin in 2024 and take two years to complete.

HS2 has been dogged by criticism over its financial and environmental impact.

In October of last year, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove suggested capital investment for HS2 would be reviewed, but Chancellor Jeremy Hunt subsequently backed the project.

The target cost of Phase One was £40.3 billion at 2019 prices.

A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of HS2 was set in 2015.