UK’s HS2 Railway Project Faces Further Delays and Cost Increases

The UK government is set to announce that the completion of the High Speed 2 rail line will be delayed and the cost will rise, faulting the previous Conservative administration for wasting billions of pounds on the troubled project.

The target for finishing the remaining section of the high-speed railway between London and Birmingham — which had been set for 2033 — will be pushed out by at least two years, UK Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is planning to report to the House of Commons on Wednesday. She will blame the Tories for mismanaging the project as Labour ministers brace for the price tag to swell to £100 billion ($135 billion), more than triple the £30 billion it was initially projected to cost.