I've Been Tracking HS2 From the Start: How Birmingham-to-London Link Became Westminster's Political Football

I've been tracking HS2 from the start: How Birmingham-to-London link became Westminster's political football

A forensic look at how HS2—once pitched as a flagship for regional growth—has been chopped, delayed and over budget. We explore why Birmingham is bearing the cost, how political meddling has derailed progress, and whether Labour’s reset can salvage anything real.

HS2 bat tunnel farce worsens as costs rise to £125m

Impartial news & intelligent debate

UK government fumes at ‘ludicrous’ £125M ‘bat tunnel’

The ‘bat mitigation tunnel’ is designed to protect wildlife from Britain’s High Speed Rail 2 project — but it’s enraging ministers as cost projections climb.

Why so many embarrassing fiascos?

Why do so many of our public sector projects end up massively expensive, heavily over budget, late to be delivered, and faulty?   HS2 will not be a particularly attractive journey, as most of the line will be in tunnels or cuttings   How much does a door cost? Well if it’s replacement one for the entrance to the House of Lords, the answer is £9.6m, which is about a thousand times more than most people might think reasonable. The original estimat…