The National Audit Office says the Government should use a two-year pause on new construction work on High Speed 2’s Euston station to develop an affordable, deliverable and value for money design.
In its latest report, the NAO says costs have risen from £2.6 billion in April 2020 to £4.8 billion. Earlier in March, the Government announced a deferral of work on Euston station and High Speed 2 Phase 2a from Birmingham to Crewe.
Inflation is partially blamed for the rise in costs, but the NAO highlights dependencies on Network Rail’s plans to revitalise its station at Euston adjacent to the HS2 site: NR’s plans are still unfunded at the time of writing. And, while the body However, while the is calling on the Government to revisit the reconsider the station, it acknowledges that pausing new construction will lead to additional costs and could potentially cost more in the long-term.
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