# United kingdom | HS2
**URL:** https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637
**Category:** London
**Created:** [August 10, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637 "2022-08-10T14:16:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2024, 12:48pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/21 "2024-08-10T12:48:14Z")
> **[HS2 reveals £2bn in costs linked to Sunak’s downgrade of line](https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/29/hs2-costs-rishi-sunak-chief-executive)**
>
> Annual report also shows former chief executive was paid £652,569 for his final year, including a £34,345 bonus
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/22 "2024-09-14T16:15:18Z")
> **[Plans unveiled for cheaper high-speed alternative to scrapped HS2 northern leg](https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/sep/13/plans-unveiled-for-cheaper-high-speed-alternative-to-scrapped-hs2-northern-leg)**
>
> Report claims 50-mile line would be slightly slower and significantly cheaper but deliver most of the benefits
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2025, 12:33pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/23 "2025-02-26T12:33:16Z")
> **[First HS2 'deep tunnel' reaches construction milestone](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpq2len1weyo)**
>
> At 30 metres below ground level, the tunnel allows trains to avoid woodland above, HS2 says.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2025, 3:46pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/24 "2025-05-01T15:46:27Z")
> **['Daily nightmare' as HS2 tunnel divides historic Midland village](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/daily-nightmare-hs2-tunnel-divides-31523264)**
>
> Residents in Burton Green say their picturesque village has been turned into an 'eyesore' by HS2 and 700m tunnel has split community
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### Author:  [@mcart](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/mcart)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2025, 11:11pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/25 "2025-05-01T23:11:33Z")
This just in: Old people complain about progress.
But for real, if you actually read any of their complaints it’s literally just normal construction stuff.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 9, 2025, 3:12pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/26 "2025-05-09T15:12:50Z")
> **[HS2 'milestone' as giant tunnel section makes it to Birmingham](https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/hs2-milestone-giant-tunnel-section-31606954.amp)**
>
> 1,600 tonne machine called Mary Ann made it to the city this morning after a 652-day mission
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2025, 1:49pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/27 "2025-05-27T13:49:59Z")
> **[HS2 investigates claims company overcharged for supplying workers](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/may/26/hs2-investigates-claims-company-overcharged-for-supplying-workers)**
>
> Firm accused of inflating billing costs for staff working on high-speed rail route’s West Midlands section
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [June 29, 2025, 5:58pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/28 "2025-06-29T17:58:22Z")
> **[HS2 | Construction of bat shed with all associated civils work will cost...](https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/hs2-construction-of-bat-shed-with-all-associated-civils-work-will-cost-216m-dft-reveals-27-06-2025/)**
>
> The 1km long and 10m high Sheephouse Wood Bat Mitigation Structure will cover the HS2 tracks as they run past the Sheephouse Wood area Site of Special
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [January 19, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/29 "2026-01-19T19:17:55Z")
Chilterns Tunnel (not to be confused with the Chunnel)
> **[HS2 completes construction of its longest tunnels beneath the Chilterns](https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/hs2-completes-construction-of-its-longest-tunnels-beneath-the-chilterns-86928/)**
>
> HS2 says that construction of its longest tunnel, running from the edge of London under the Chilterns, has been completed, nearly 5 years after work began.
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### Author:  [@stache](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/stache)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/30 "2026-01-20T14:21:33Z")
A country that can have nice things.
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### Author:  [@Dior](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Dior)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2026, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/31 "2026-01-20T17:17:49Z")
IIRC this always had complications so it was never an easy project
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/32 "2026-01-20T18:39:46Z")
> **[How the UK ended up building the world’s most expensive railway](https://www.ft.com/content/3f731e87-bc4b-426c-a97c-67e1ad50831d)**
>
> HS2 is set to cost more per kilometre than any other rail project in the world as total bill could surpass £100bn
> Using the £80bn figure, and after adjusting for inflation and differences in local prices using purchasing power parity (PPP), HS2’s projected cost of $537mn per km makes it by far the most expensive of the 94 lines in the TCP’s dataset.
According to [Why do they hate California high speed rail? Because it could actually succeed | High Speed Rail Alliance](https://www.hsrail.org/blog/why-do-they-hate-california-high-speed-rail-because-it-could-actually-succeed/), at a little over $200m per mile, California HSR is a bargain by comparison.
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### Author:  [@MarshallKnight](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/MarshallKnight)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/33 "2026-01-20T18:40:30Z")
I don’t think I would hold up HS2 as a particularly strong example of a country getting its capital projects right — it’s been slashed into a short London-Birmingham shuttle, as compared with the initial brief to connect London to Manchester and Leeds.
Although the fact that even this neutered line looks good in comparison to most US projects is pretty damning.
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### Author:  [@s2000](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/s2000)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2026, 7:54pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/34 "2026-01-20T19:54:16Z")
The UK is on par with us when it comes to infrastructure.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2026, 4:02pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/35 "2026-03-24T16:02:15Z")
> **[Railnews - Government orders HS2 speed rethink](https://railnews.mobi/news/2026/03/24-government-orders-hs2-speed-rethink.html)**
> Trains on HS2 could run more slowly as a result of cost-saving changes to the project.
>
> The planned maximum line speed of 360km/h may be abandoned in favour of 320km/h at the most.
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### Author:  [@BA178](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/BA178)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/36 "2026-03-24T16:13:54Z")
200 mph is still a good speed, but it’s a part of the broader series of cutbacks that’ll kneecap this line and the benefits it can offer for decades to come.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2026, 1:33pm UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/37 "2026-05-08T13:33:45Z")
> **[Deep below London, HS2’s twin tunnels advance towards Euston station](https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/deep-below-london-hs2s-twin-tunnels-advance-towards-euston-station-89363/)**
>
> Twin tunnel boring machines are now advancing beneath homes and roads towards Euston, with HS2 confirming steady progress through London clay.
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### Author:  [@Waymond\_Womano](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/u/Waymond_Womano)
#### Post date: [May 20, 2026, 10:26am UTC](https://forum.newyorkyimby.com/t/united-kingdom-hs2/21637/38 "2026-05-20T10:26:05Z")
> **[HS2 bill could rise to £102bn with first trains delayed until 2039,...](https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/19/hs2-bill-could-rise-102bn-pounds-first-trains-delayed-until-2039-government-admits)**
>
> Transport secretary Heidi Alexander blames Conservative government for ‘obscene increase in times and costs’
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