UK's HS2 High-Speed Rail Construction Costs Rise, Schedule Delayed Again
The UK government stated on the 19th that despite being scaled down, the construction cost of its High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project could exceed £100 billion. The completion date for the London to Birmingham section has been further delayed from the original 2033 to as late as 2039. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander noted that the soaring costs are mainly due to misunderstanding of the required work, underestimation, and inefficiency, with inflation also being a factor.
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- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 16:12
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 16:32 (19 min after Published)
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The UK government announced today that the construction cost of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway could exceed £100 billion (approximately NT$4.3 trillion), with expenses continuing to rise and the construction timeline further delayed, even after the project was scaled down.
According to Agence France-Presse, UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated in Parliament that the completion cost for the section between London and Birmingham in central England could range from "£87.7 billion to £102.7 billion" at 2025 prices.
She also added that the expected completion date has been postponed again, from 2033 to 2039 at the latest.
Alexander said, "Two-thirds of this (cost) increase is due to past misunderstandings of the required engineering, underestimation, and inefficiency," with the remainder attributed to inflation.
This will be the UK's second high-speed railway line; the first is the Eurostar train route from London to the Channel Tunnel, extending to France.
The London to Birmingham section was originally scheduled to open this year.
According to Agence France-Presse, UK Transport Minister Heidi Alexander stated in Parliament that the completion cost for the section between London and Birmingham in central England could range from "£87.7 billion to £102.7 billion" at 2025 prices.
She also added that the expected completion date has been postponed again, from 2033 to 2039 at the latest.
Alexander said, "Two-thirds of this (cost) increase is due to past misunderstandings of the required engineering, underestimation, and inefficiency," with the remainder attributed to inflation.
This will be the UK's second high-speed railway line; the first is the Eurostar train route from London to the Channel Tunnel, extending to France.
The London to Birmingham section was originally scheduled to open this year.