Jeremy Hunt confirms HS2 will reach central London after reports it might stop in suburbs | Politics News
HS2 will end at Euston after reports that the motorway could stop before reaching central London, the prime minister has confirmed.
Jeremy Hunt said he doesn’t see “any conceivable situation” where the original plan would not be followed and that he is “extremely proud” of the work to come.
End point of line get into the question after a report in The Sun claimed the final leg of HS2 could be scrapped and replaced with a new hub at Old Oak Common in the northwest London suburbs.
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This will force passengers to end their journey into the heart of the capital on the new Elizabeth metro line.
The government has not denied reports or a two- to five-year delay for the entire project – currently to be completed between 2029 and 2033 – under consideration due to the high cost of inflation. record.
However, when asked if he and the government were committed to the route ending in Euston as planned, Mr Hunt said: “Yes, we do.”
The Prime Minister added: “I don’t see any conceivable situation where that would not end in Euston and indeed I have preferred HS2 at autumn declaration.
“We don’t have a good track record in this country delivering complex, expensive infrastructure quickly, but I’m extremely proud that for the first time in the last decade under a Conservative government, we I have a shovel, we’re building HS2 and we’re going to make it happen.”
Prime Minister’s spokesman Rishi Sunak later confirmed that he was of the same opinion as Mr Hunt and that the government was “committed to implementing the integrated rail plan”.
The HS2 project has been criticized for its financial and environmental impact.
In October 2021, Leveling Minister Michael Gove proposed capital investment for the line to be reviewed.
But after being installed at Number 11, Mr Hunt later backed the project.
The target cost of Phase 1 between London and Birmingham is £40.3 billion in 2019 prices, although an overall budget of £55.7 billion had been set just four years earlier.
Penny Gaines from campaign group Stop HS2 said it was “not surprising” that costs spiraled out of control.
“These reports show a lot of problems with HS2,” she added. “It is being delayed further and further so costs will increase, it should be canceled in its entirety as soon as possible.”