The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) holds an evidence session on
the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail programme at 10am on Thursday
19th December, following the National Audit
Office's recentreport on the
topic.
The session will likely see MPs challenge senior officials from
the Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd on what costs and
benefits HS2 will now bring the taxpayer, following the
cancellation of its Northern leg. While the cancellation and the
decision to privately finance the connecting line and new station
at Euston has significantly changed the costs and benefits of the
overall programme, costs had already begun increasing on the
London-Birmingham line (Phase 1).
DfT and HS2 Ltd have also disagreed on how much it will cost to
complete the scheme. Prior to the cancellation of the Northern
leg, DfT expected Phase 1 to cost £45bn-£54bn (in 2019 prices),
against a funding envelope of £44.6bn. HS2 Ltd's estimates were
higher, at £49bn-£57bn. Over £30bn had been spent on the
programme as at March 2024.
The PAC is also likely to examine progress with changes at HS2's
Euston terminus, the overall scope of which is now larger, with
the planned incorporation of more commercial development and new
housing. The session is also likely to see discussion around how
the cancellation of the Northern leg programme is being managed,
including the closing down of construction sites and disposal of
land and property no longer needed.
Witnesses
From 10am:
- Dame DCB, Permanent Secretary
at Department for Transport (DfT)
- Alan Over, Director General, Major
Rail Projects Group, and Senior Responsible Owner for High Speed
2 (HS2) Programme at DfT
- Mark Wild, Chief Executive Officer
at HS2 Ltd
- Alan Foster, Chief Financial
Officer and Interim CEO at HS2 Ltd
