Article #30207

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander blames Conservative government for ‘obscene increase in times and costs’

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The HS2 high-speed railway will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains will not start running between London and Birmingham until as late as 2039, the government has admitted – £70bn more and 13 years later than originally promised.

The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said that the truncated railway would not be entirely completed until as late as 2043.