HS2 bill could rise to £102bn with first trains delayed until 2039, government admits

An HS2 rail tunnel running under the Chiltern hills. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

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 the truncated railway would not be entirely completed until as late as 2043.