How much did HS2 cost today?

What is the current cost of HS2?

Okay, so this whole HS2 thing. It’s kind of a mess, right? Last I checked, the ministers were saying that London to Birmingham part, that’s gonna run us somewhere between £54 billion and £66 billion. Wild, huh?

But here’s the kicker. Those numbers, they were talking about back in 2019 prices. Like, before everything got so crazy expensive. So if you slap on the inflation we’ve seen since then, you’re actually looking at something more like £67 billion to £81.7 billion. Yeah, a huge jump.

It’s just… I was reading it, and my jaw kinda dropped. The sheer amount of money. It feels like a black hole sometimes, you know? They’re building this massive train line, and every time I hear an update, the price tag just keeps climbing. It’s a real head-scratcher.

Thinking about that kind of money makes my head spin. It’s not just a few quid, it's billions upon billions. You start to wonder what else could be done with that kind of investment.

• The London to Birmingham stretch is the big one.
• The initial figures were around £54bn-£66bn.
• But adjusted for inflation, that’s now £67bn-£81.7bn.

It’s honestly a bit unbelievable. The scale of it is just immense. It’s hard to even picture that much money, let alone imagine it being spent on one railway line. Makes you question things, for sure.

How much did the HS2 London to Birmingham cost?

How much did HS2 cost? Good lord, you might as well ask how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. The goverment will tell you one number, but the real figure has shot off into the stratosphere like a startled pheasant.

The London to Birmingham bit, just that first leg, is now staring down the barrel of £66.6 billion. Yes, that’s billion with a B. For that price, you could buy every single Greggs in the UK and give everyone a free sausage roll for the next century. The original plan was cheaper. A lot cheaper. My uncle Dave said he could have tunneled it himself with a spade for less.

Here’s the breakdown of this glorious money pit:

• Original Budget: When they dreamed this thing up back in 2015, the whole shebang was meant to be £55.7 billion. For the entire line, all the way up to Manchester and Leeds. A bargain!

• Current Reality: Now, just getting to Birmingham will cost up to £66.6 billion. The train better be gold-plated and serve lobster. The northern leg to Manchester? Scrapped. Gone. Kaput. So we're paying more for less, which is a classic.

• Cost Per Mile: The track costs more per mile than a solid gold monorail to the moon. We're talking hundreds of millions for every single mile. My car didn't cost that much, and it has a cup holder.

• Why so expensive? They keep digging up old stuff. Roman settlements, Victorian graveyards, unexploded WW2 bombs. It's less of a railway project and more of the world's most expensive and accidental episode of Time Team. My sister lives in Wendover and she says the noise is something else. Never-ending.

How much did the HS2 Euston cost?

The HS2 Euston cost. That number, £4.8 billion, it was just another stop on a long, escalating journey. The station project's expenses ultimately soared, reaching beyond £6.5 billion. A genuinely crushing sum.

The Public Accounts Committee stated it plainly. The government lacked a clear vision for Euston. This absence of definite purpose drove the continuous, uncontrolled surge in spending. It feels like watching money just… dissipate.

I remember thinking about how different travel north could be. Visiting my sister in Leeds, those quicker trips. Now, seeing the project's state, that vision feels like a cruel, expensive illusion. A deep, quiet sigh.

Here's more on the Euston station saga:

• Cost Escalation: The initial budget for Euston station was £2.6 billion. It then ballooned to £4.8 billion, as the Public Accounts Committee observed, eventually exceeding £6.5 billion before significant decisions were made.
• Government Intervention: In October 2023, the government formally announced a two-year pause on main construction at Euston.
• Private Funding Mandate: The pause mandates finding private sector funding for the station's completion. This aims to offload some of the financial burden from taxpayers.
• Scaled-Back Design: The current plan involves a more modest, scaled-back version of the station. This replaces earlier, more ambitious designs which contributed to rising costs.
• Public Accounts Committee Concerns: The PAC consistently criticised HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport. They cited poor management, a lack of clear scope, and unrealistic cost projections for the Euston segment.
• Phase One Completion: Despite Euston's challenges, the rest of the HS2 Phase One route, connecting Old Oak Common to Birmingham, remains under construction. The Euston leg is now separated.
• Project Delays: The entire HS2 project faces substantial delays. The completion date for even the reduced Phase One to Old Oak Common is now 2029-2033, with a projected cost of £49-56 billion (2019 prices).

How much will HS2 cost from Birmingham to London?

Okay, I'm thinking back to my drive last spring, heading up from south London to visit my sister in Sutton Coldfield. Man, the M40 was a nightmare that day, roadworks for miles. My old Clio, she was chugging along, I swear I could feel every single pothole near Warwick.

I had the radio on, some news channel, they were prattling on about HS2. Honestly, it always gets my blood boiling. I was stuck in traffic, already an hour late, thinking about how much easier a proper high-speed train could make things. But then they dropped the numbers.

My jaw literally dropped. The latest figure for just the London to Birmingham bit, including the scaled-back Euston station, is £52.6 billion. Fifty-two point six billion. My mind just couldn't wrap around it. What could you do with that cash? It felt like a punch to the gut, sitting there in my little car.

I work as a freelance graphic designer, and £52.6 billion is a sum I'll never see in my lifetime, not even close. My rent in Southwark is insane. I just kept thinking about my local bus service, how often it’s late, how they’ve cut routes. This money could fix so much right here, in my area, in Birmingham.

I finally pulled into my sister's driveway, two hours later than planned. Stepped out, took a deep breath. She just laughed when I started ranting about HS2 and its cost. Said I should just get on with it, it's already happening. But that number, £52.6 billion, it just sticks in my head.

Key Facts on HS2 London to Birmingham:

• Current Cost Estimate: The official estimate for the London to West Midlands (Birmingham Curzon Street) phase, including a revised Euston station, stands at £52.6 billion. This figure was confirmed in October 2023.
• Original Scope: This section, known as Phase One, was initially planned to connect London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street.
• Northern Cancellation: The government officially cancelled the northern leg of HS2 in October 2023. The project now focuses primarily on the London-Birmingham route.
• Euston Station: Original plans for a large Euston station have been scaled back. The £52.6 billion budget includes these revised, more limited plans for Euston.
• Construction Progress: Significant construction is well underway along much of the route between London and Birmingham. Tunnels are being bored and viaducts built.
• Project Timeline: Completion for the London to Birmingham section is currently anticipated between 2029 and 2033. This is when first trains will run.
• Operating Speed: HS2 trains will run at speeds up to 225 mph (360 km/h), cutting journey times significantly. London to Birmingham will be reduced from 1 hour 21 minutes to just 49 minutes.

My Thoughts on HS2's Reality:

• Financial Burden: The cost is enormous. This is a massive investment of taxpayer money, money my family definitely contributes to.
• Connectivity Benefits: Yes, faster trains are a positive. Cutting almost half an hour off the journey between London and Birmingham is impressive, for business people, for students.
• Environmental Concerns: The project has faced considerable criticism for its environmental impact, particularly through the Chilterns. Significant ancient woodland destruction is happening. I do not like this.
• Regional Impact: The original vision aimed to rebalance the economy by connecting the North. Now, with the northern leg gone, it feels like Birmingham gets a good connection, but the broader leveling-up argument is weak.
• Value for Money: I strongly question the value for money. For £52.6 billion, I firmly believe there were other, more immediate infrastructure priorities across the UK. Local transport, better roads, improving existing rail lines – these are all more urgent. That is my confident opinion.

How much did HS2 cost vs budget?

The whole HS2 cost thing is a total mess, an absolute joke. The original idea from the Gordon Brown Labour goverment was for £37.5 billion. That was in 2009 prices for the entire line. Sounded like a lot back then, right?

Now the numbers are just completely out of control. It’s insane. They even cancelled the big northern leg up to Manchester, and the price for the first bit is still eye-watering. A total money pit. The first section alone costs more than the whole project was supposed to.

Here are the hard numbers, it's just wild.

• Original 2009 Budget:£37.5 billion (for the full original network).
• 2020 Full Network Estimate: This ballooned to £98 billion (in 2019 prices) before parts were cancelled.
• Current Phase 1 Cost (London to Birmingham only): The latest official estimate is between £49 billion and £57 billion (in 2019 prices).

The cost overruns are blamed on a few major things. The biggest issue was that the initial budgets were just not realistic at all. They completely underestimated the complexity.

• Poor Ground Conditions: Digging the tunnels and preparing the ground was way more difficult and expensive than they planned for. Especially around London.
• Inflation: Construction material and labor costs have soared, way beyond normal inflation rates.
• Scope Changes: They kept adding new things and changing the designs for stations and sections of teh track, which always adds massive costs. Every single change costs millions.

How much did the HS2 cancellation cost?

HS2’s axing rang up £2.17 billion in write-offs. Sunak’s October decree, a bold gambit at Manchester’s conference, silenced the northern leg. London Euston’s grand vision? Reduced.

The true cost of dismantling ambition extends beyond the immediate balance sheet.

• Economic Ripples: Lost investment, stalled supply chains.
• Reputational Damage: A government seen to falter, project confidence shattered.
• Opportunity Cost: Funds redirected, other infrastructure dreams deferred.
• Regional Disappointment: Promises broken, a palpable sense of betrayal for the North.
• Environmental Repercussions: Land disturbed, mitigation efforts now a wasted investment.

The £2.17bn is merely the invoice. The real tab is still being tallied.