HS2 Hits the Buffers as Inflation Forces Government to Delay Network’s Crewe and Euston Legs

Campaigners say 'disastrous project' has imploded

Undated image of a graphic representation of the HS2 trains which would run between London and Birmingham. Hitachi Rail-Alstom/PA

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has announced that “inflationary pressures” will cause delays to the construction of key parts of the high-speed railway HS2.

In a written ministerial statement, Harper said the Birmingham to Crewe line will be delayed by two years and the final stretch from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston in central London will not be ready until some time in the 2040s.