The High Speed Rail link has been given an unachievable rating for its first two phases – from London to Birmingham then onto Crewe – by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
Under the IPA’s grading system, a red rating implies: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable.”
The rating also means 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 re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”
The phase of the project running from Crewe to Manchester was given an “amber” grading by the IPA, under which successful delivery of a project “appears feasible”, but “significant issues already exist”.
The London to Birmingham leg of HS2 was due to open in 2026, but is now expected between 2029 and 2033 whilst the second leg to Crewe has now been delayed by a further two years and the final leg into Manchester may not be operational until 2040.
The cost of the project has meanwhile soared
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Spades are already in the ground on HS2, with 350 construction sites, over £20bn invested to date and supporting over 28,500 jobs.
“We remain committed to delivering HS2 in the most cost-effective way for taxpayers.
“HS2 will bring transformational benefits for generations to come, improving connections and helping grow the economy.”
