The HS2 rail line, which was originally meant to be completed by 2026, has been deemed ‘unachievable’ by an official infrastructure watchdog.
The Infrastructure and Projects Authority gave the project a ‘red’ rating for the construction of its first two phases.
According to the IPA, this means: "Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable".
It added: “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable. The project may need rescoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”
The project was rolled out to create high-speed rail links between London and the West Midlands, with the second phase going from the West Midlands to Crewe.
There are also plans for the train route to extend with links from Crewe to Manchester and West Midlands to Leeds, but this is yet to be confirmed.
The Labour peer Tony Berkeley commented: “It should be cancelled tomorrow. This is the Treasury’s own report telling them that the scheme is unachievable. What more evidence do they need?
“Everyone knows the money would be so much better spent on improving the existing rail infrastructure – particularly Northern Rail. Someone just needs to take the decision,” he added.
Despite the backlash, the Department for Transport said it is committed to delivering HS2.
A spokesperson said: “Spades are already in the ground on HS2, with 350 construction sites, over £20bn invested to date and supporting over 28,500 jobs.
“HS2 will bring transformational benefits for generations to come, improving connections and helping grow the economy.”
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