What is happening with HS2 now? Everything we know as 'HS2 light' is proposed

There had been speculation that HS2 trains running from Birmingham could halt astatine Old Oak Common in westbound London rather than Euston, fixed the soaring cost.

Pressed whether it was affordable for the high-speed enactment to tally to Euston, Ms Haigh told Times Radio: “It would ne'er person made consciousness to permission it betwixt Old Oak Common and Birmingham.

“Euston was ever planned to beryllium portion of the representation for HS2. We are hoping to marque an announcement connected that precise soon.”

She besides stressed that the determination to crook disconnected the immense advertizing boards astatine Euston had proved “popular”.

Rail chiefs person travel nether occurrence for the authorities of the large obstruction terminal.

“I asked Network Rail to marque those changes due to the fact that the rider acquisition was intelligibly not bully capable determination and they made the determination to temporarily crook disconnected the advertizing boards, which has been precise fashionable with customers,” explained Ms Haigh.

But HS2 has been plagued by doubts implicit whether it would ever materialise aft cancellations and delays.

Here is what we cognize astir the project.

HS2 is simply a task to physique a high-speed obstruction enactment successful England, with the strategy announced successful January 2009 by the Labour Government. In 2010, it was planned to link London with Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands Parkway, Leeds, and York.

It followed HS1, which is the 109km obstruction enactment from London’s St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel and planetary high-speed routes, opening successful the archetypal decennary of the 2000s.

The Labour Government wanted to code capableness constraints connected the north-south obstruction links successful England. They besides said it would trim travel times, make jobs and assistance the country’s economy, peculiarly successful Northern areas that would apt spot concern generated if the question links to these places improved.

In 2012, the HS2 task was officially fixed the go-ahead, with a measure being introduced to parliament the pursuing year.

The enactment was primitively planned to beryllium delivered successful 3 phases:

There were besides negotiations involving routes to Scotland, and besides to Heathrow.

Work connected signifier 1 began successful 2017.

The strategy attracted a batch of disapproval from run groups and ineligible challenges citing biology concerns. In 2016, the National Audit Office informing that the task would apt beryllium delayed and perchance implicit budget. The HS2 main enforcement astatine the time, Simon Kirby, resigned months later.

The fund did balloon. In 2012, the outgo was projected to beryllium £32bn; however, that fig yet roseate to a projected £100bn, with galore delays during the pandemic adding to spiralling costs.

After overmuch negotiation, the Leeds way was cancelled successful 2021.

Mr Sunak blamed outgo overruns, delays, and changes to post-Covid question arsenic cardinal reasons wherefore helium cancelled the enactment northbound of the West Midlands.

As portion of the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg, the erstwhile authorities announced onshore that had been bought and was nary longer needed would beryllium sold, with the process slated to statesman wrong weeks of the announcement.

The archetypal signifier of onshore income would person seen tiny amounts of cultivation onshore sold backmost to farmers.

In January, earlier the election, Keir Starmer said helium couldn’t “stand present and perpetrate to reversing" the erstwhile government's decision, saying determination was nary wealth to proceed the scheme.

Sir Keir said it was "not imaginable to bash HS2" arsenic that authorities had "blown the budget".

"Contracts are going to beryllium cancelled," helium said.

But helium did add: "It does not mean that we won't person a program for transport successful the North-West, desperately needed”, and said that Labour were “committed” to improving the work there.

In July, it was revealed however onshore that had antecedently been slated for the task and was nary longer needed had not yet been sold.

It is unclear if the income volition statesman nether Labour.

As portion of the King’s Speech, the caller Labour authorities said it would not reverse the arguable determination to scrap the bluish limb of High Speed Two (HS2) and alternatively repurpose the High Speed Rail Bill to “provide powers to conception and run obstruction projects which amended eastbound to westbound connectivity crossed the North of England”.

The Government is said to beryllium considering a slower alternate to HS2 betwixt Manchester and Birmingham – dubbed “HS2-Light”.

Regional leaders person been pushing for an alternate to the scrapped limb of HS2 successful a bid to summation obstruction capableness northbound of Birmingham.

A study commissioned by the 2 mayors of Britain’s second- and third-largest cities past period suggested that an 80km (50-mile) Midlands-North West obstruction nexus betwixt Manchester and Birmingham tin beryllium built that would present 85 per cent of the payment of HS2’s cancelled 2nd phase, astatine 60 per cent to 75 per cent of the costs.