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| HS2: Review to examine costs and benefits of rail project | HS2: Review to examine costs and benefits of rail project |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The government is launching a review of high-speed rail link HS2 - with a “go or no-go" decision to be made by the end of the year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said. | The government is launching a review of high-speed rail link HS2 - with a “go or no-go" decision to be made by the end of the year, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has said. |
| The review will consider whether and how the project to connect London, the Midlands and northern England should proceed, looking at costs and benefits. | The review will consider whether and how the project to connect London, the Midlands and northern England should proceed, looking at costs and benefits. |
| Mr Shapps refused to rule out scrapping it entirely. | |
| He said it was "responsible" to see whether HS2 was "going to stack up". | |
| Phase 1 of the development between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with the second phase to Leeds and Manchester scheduled for completion by 2032-33. | |
| It is designed to carry trains capable of travelling at 250mph. | |
| When asked about the billions already spent on the project, Mr Shapps said: "Just because you've spent a lot of money on something does not mean you should plough more and more money into it." | |
| He said ministers were asking the reviewers "just give us the facts." | |
| "Go and find out all the information that's out there… genuinely what it would cost to complete this project, and then we'll be in a much better position to make that decision - go or no-go by the end of the year." | |
| The review will be chaired by Douglas Oakervee, a civil engineer who served as chairman of the Crossrail project between 2005 and 2009. | The review will be chaired by Douglas Oakervee, a civil engineer who served as chairman of the Crossrail project between 2005 and 2009. |
| Lord Berkeley, another civil engineer who worked on the construction of the Channel Tunnel, will act as his deputy. | Lord Berkeley, another civil engineer who worked on the construction of the Channel Tunnel, will act as his deputy. |
| A final report will be sent to the government in the autumn. | A final report will be sent to the government in the autumn. |
| Rising cost | |
| During the Conservative Party leadership campaign Boris Johnson said he would not scrap plans for the new rail link, but did express "anxieties about the business case". | |
| Previous governments have argued the new route would boost the economy, but concerns have been raised over the cost and route. | |
| In July, the current chairman of the project reportedly warned that the total cost could rise by £30bn - up from the current budget of £56bn. | |
| Labour peer Lord Adonis, a former transport secretary who worked as an infrastructure adviser to Theresa May, said the review was "as stupid as you can get" and would "screw Birmingham and the North". | |
| He tweeted that it would become "a massive bun fight, while the transport department runs for cover and HS2 Ltd is paralysed by indecision". | |
| The review will look into: | |
| What does HS2 mean for passengers? |