The second phase of HS2 linking Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds could be “paused” by six months, as estimated costs threaten to rise to £106bn.
That’s according to an unpublished copy of an independent review led by former HS2 chairman Douglas Oakervee, which recommends that experts look at whether conventional lines could be used north of Birmingham.
But the report, leaked to the Financial Times, recommends that on balance the government should proceed with the project.
Meanwhile, the chief executives of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Morgan Sindall, Costain, Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine have jointly written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging him not to scrap the project, warning that to do so would cause “irreparable damage” to the second, according to the Times.
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I think it’s only too clear to see the advantages of turning to a Low Speed 3- built on the foundations of a former red wall, serving the deserving of such as Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Bolton, Bury, Blackburn, Burnley, Blyth and Bishop Auckland. Quite a good return on investment? I imagine the chief executives of Balfour Beatty, Skanska, Morgan Sindall, Costain, Mace and Sir Robert McAlpine will be able to see likewise.Glenfinnan all round.