Britain’s new high speed railway line, HS2, which will connect London to the central English city of Birmingham, will be delayed from the 2033 opening date targeted, the BBC reported on Wednesday.
It is the latest blow for the project, which has been plagued by cost over-runs. Two years ago, its ballooning budget forced the previous government to cancel the northern half of the project between Birmingham and Manchester.
Back when construction was approved in 2012, HS2 was expected to open by 2026 and cost 33 billion pounds ($44 billion). Its cost has spiralled to over 100 billion pounds now.
Transport minister Heidi Alexander is expected to tell Parliament on Wednesday that the route will open later than the already delayed 2033 plan, without giving new guidance on when trains will start running, the BBC said it understood.
The Department for Transport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
HS2, proposed in 2010, was designed to add capacity and help Britain’s infrastructure catch up with other European countries which have extensive high speed tracks.
Alexander is expected to release two reports into the problems which have affected HS2, as part of a reset into how Britain builds major infrastructure, the BBC added.
Elected in 2024, the Labour government has put speeding up the planning process to deliver new energy and transport projects at the heart of its growth agenda. It has backed expansion at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
($1 = 0.7431 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young)
