London’s HS2 Euston station handed lifeline but only after scheme is drastically scaled back
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London’s HS2 station at Euston was handed a lifeline today but only after the prime minister ordered the scheme to be drastically scaled back.Rishi Sunak confirmed the high speed line from Birmingham would terminate in central London after he axed the planned leg to Manchester.The revised station will have six platforms instead of 10. A proposed foot tunnel to Euston Square Underground station will not be built.Mr Sunak also said £6.5bn earmarked for Euston would be spent on transport projects in other parts of the country.
And he stripped HS2 Ltd of responsibility for the Euston scheme after blaming bosses for the soaring cost.Earlier this year, work on the project was suspended until 2024 after the bill ballooned from £2.6bn to £4.8bn.
The Prime Minister said: “The management of HS2 will no longer be responsible for the Euston site.
“There must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project.
“We will instead create a new Euston Development Zone, building thousands of new homes for the next generation of homeowners, new business opportunities and a station that delivers the capacity we need.
“In doing so, for the first time in the lifecycle of this project, we will have cut costs.
“The £6.5 billion of savings that Mark (Transport Secretary Mark Harper) and I are making will be taken from the Euston site and given to the rest of the country.”
The website of the Euston Partnership, which already exists, said it attempted to “ensure a collective focus on driving forward benefits for all those who live, work and travel through Euston”.
Among its members are HS2 Ltd, the DfT, Network Rail, Transport for London and Camden Council.
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