Boris Johnson is set to announce a boardroom shake-up at High Speed 2 in an attempt to cut costs as he gives the controversial railway project the go-ahead early this week.
The controversial high-speed railway scheme is likely to be discussed at a Cabinet meeting in the morning, before the Prime Minister makes a statement on the project.
It has been reported that Mr Johnson will give the green light for Phase 1 between London and Birmingham, but say more analysis is needed on the cost of the route extending further north to Manchester and Leeds.
High-speed trains will also run beyond the new lines on existing tracks as far as Edinburgh and Glasgow.
HS2 Ltd – the Government-owned company responsible for developing and building the railway – says it will boost capacity and cut journey times.
Former HS2 Ltd chairman Douglas Oakervee was commissioned by the Government in August 2019 to lead a review into whether or not the programme should be scrapped amid rising costs and delays.
It has been widely leaked that the review found HS2 could cost up to £106 billion, but concluded that “on balance” it should continue.
HS2’s original budget was £32.7 billion at 2011 prices.
