U.K. High Speed Rail Is Over Budget and Delayed, Watchdog Says
- National Audit Office says rail link could cost $115 billion
- Project could run seven years past original deadline
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The U.K.’s HS2 High Speed Rail project linking London to northern England is behind schedule and over budget, the government spending watchdog said, underlining the difficult decision ministers must take on whether to take it forward.
Latest estimates show the project may cost as much as 88 billion pounds ($115 billion), eclipsing the initial price tag of 50 billion pounds, the National Audit Office said in a report Friday. The full line linking London to Manchester and Leeds via the West Midlands may not be operational until 2040, seven years later than planned, it said.