The Guardian | HS2 bill could rise to £102bn with first trains delayed until 2039, government admits by Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

AI generated summary, Read the full article for complete information.

The UK government has announced that the HS2 high‑speed rail project could cost up to £102.7 billion—about £70 billion more than originally forecast—and that the first trains between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham may not run until 2036‑2039, with the full London‑Euston to Staffordshire line not completed until 2040‑2043. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander blamed the Conservative government for the “obscene increase in times and costs,” saying the previous administration spent most of the budget without laying a single mile of track, and warned that cancelling the project would be almost as expensive as finishing it. To contain costs, the government plans to lower the top operating speed from nearly 200 mph to about 225 mph (320‑360 km/h) and is reconsidering automatic train operation, while pledging tighter contract oversight to get HS2 to completion.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/may/19/hs2-bill-could-rise-102bn-pounds-first-trains-delayed-until-2039-government-admits

#HS2 #UKgovernment #HeidiAlexander #infrastructure #transportpolicy #MarkWild #MarkBrown

How car-loving American cities fell so far behind their global peers on public transit

With most major European cities well-served by trains and buses, bringing US transit up to par would cost $4.6tn The only train station in [Houston][1], the [US][2]’s fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a dimini...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/06/american-cities-cars-public-transportation
#USnews #Publictransporttrips #Transportpolicy #Worldnews #Railtravel #TheGuardian
(Wed, 6 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000)

How car-loving American cities fell so far behind their global peers on public transit

With most major European cities well-served by trains and buses, bringing US transit up to par would cost $4.6tn The only train station in [Houston][1], the [US][2]’s fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a dimini...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/06/american-cities-cars-public-transportation
#USnews #Publictransporttrips #Transportpolicy #Worldnews #Railtravel #TheGuardian
(Wed, 6 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000)

How car-loving American cities fell so far behind their global peers on public transit

With most major European cities well-served by trains and buses, bringing US transit up to par would cost $4.6tn The only train station in [Houston][1], the [US][2]’s fourth-largest city and one of the fastest-growing conurbations in the country, is a dimini...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/06/american-cities-cars-public-transportation
#USnews #Publictransporttrips #Transportpolicy #Worldnews #Railtravel #TheGuardian
(Wed, 6 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000)