HS2 | News, Analysis & Comment about construction of the UK Rail Project

HS2 commissioners demand clarity on ‘unclear and undefined’ Euston plans

Joshua Stein — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:51:09 +0000

Plans to complete HS2 at Euston remain “a good way off” and a swift resolution for the site needs to be reached urgently, the rail body’s two commissioners have said. HS2’s independent residents’ commissioner Stewart Jackson said the plans for HS2’s London terminus remained “unclear…

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Planning reforms to speed up major infrastructure welcomed

Kerry Lorimer — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 11:45:32 +0000

Government plans to slash the statutory pre-consultation period for major projects have drawn a cautious welcome from industry with warnings it will not be a "golden bullet". The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the latest reforms to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill…

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HS2 faces multimillion-pound hit after planning permission rejection

Joshua Stein — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 11:46:55 +0000

A planning decision to block HS2 from upgrading a crucial farm lane in Wendover could push up its costs by “tens of millions” of pounds, it has said. The response came as Buckinghamshire Council refused planning permission for an underground chamber and ditch, as part…

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Why Construction News is using AI to assist with our writing

Colin Marrs — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:05:06 +0000

Technology is changing. And so is Construction News. Our editorial team has been using artificial intelligence (AI) behind the scenes for some time now to summarise long reports and data as part of our research process, as well as produce some illustrations. But we have…

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Balfour boss pours cold water on HS2 contract renegotiation

Colin Marrs — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 12:45:55 +0000

Balfour Beatty boss Leo Quinn has pushed back against suggestions by HS2 bosses that construction contracts on the London to Birmingham rail scheme could be renegotiated. In December, Construction News reported comments made to MPs by HS2 chief financial officer Alan Foster, saying that contractors…

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Revised HS2 business case delayed until 2026

Contributor — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:15:08 +0000

Tom Pashby An updated business case for the revised programme of works for High Speed 2 (HS2) will not be published until 2026 – more than a year later than originally planned. The delay came to light in a letter dated 27 February from Department…

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HS2 civils contracts slammed as ‘extremely poor value for money’

Will Ing — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 00:01:53 +0000

A public spending watchdog has said HS2’s construction contracts are “extremely poor value for money” and is “unconvinced” they can be renegotiated to achieve significant savings. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) described HS2 as a “cycle of repeated failure” and “a casebook example of how…

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Civils contractor bags £207m HS2 overhead wiring contract

Joshua Stein — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 12:52:17 +0000

Civils firm Colas Rail has scooped up a £206.9m job to develop HS2’s overhead wiring system. The contractor will now design, manufacture, install and test HS2's overhead catenary system (OCS), for 469km worth of track. That will include overhead wiring to supply electric power for…

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Breakthrough in HS2 mass transit procurement process

Greg Pitcher — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 11:58:02 +0000

The troubled process of creating a mass transit system to transport High Speed 2 (HS2) passengers to other rail interchanges has taken a step forward with the shortlisting of two contractors. Two European cable car specialists will now slug it out for £269m of work…

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New hospitals programme set to fail, IPA warns

Chris Smith — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 13:04:28 +0000

The New Hospital Programme has been rated as unachievable in the latest official audit of UK infrastructure. In its annual review for the financial year 2023-24, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) gave a red rating to the £20bn plan to build 40 new hospitals…

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