Construction on HS2’s £1.2billion tunnel to Euston will be held back from starting next year as planned after the Government “switched priority” to get the maligned high-speed railway running from Birmingham to Old Oak Common.
The construction of the 7.2km tunnel between Euston and Old Oak Common stations will now be deferred amid widespread disruption, protests and rising costs.
The delay comes after a huge area around Euston station has been cleared to make space for the high-speed railway, with many properties bought up.
An HS2 spokeswoman confirmed the delay on Tuesday.
She added: “Since the Government announcement to prioritise the delivery of HS2 between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street we have been working on the detail of which works will be deferred.
“We can confirm that there are impacts to the works being delivered under the Main Works Civils Contract, awarded to Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture, specifically the section between Old Oak Common and the Euston Approaches.
“The two Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) building the tunnel on this section from the Old Oak Common Box towards Euston were scheduled to begin in 2024, but this is now deferred. The preparation works for the launch of the two TBMs will continue.
“The Atlas Road Logistics Tunnel - between Old Oak Common station site and the Atlas Road site - is a precursor to this work and is still continuing.”
In January, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he does not see “any conceivable circumstances” in which the High Speed 2 rail line would not run to its planned Euston terminal.
HS2 has been dogged by criticism over its finances. A budget of £55.7 billion for the whole of the project was set in 2015.
But the target cost excluding the eastern leg of Phase 2b from the West Midlands to the East Midlands has ballooned to between £53 billion and £71 billion (in 2019 prices).
In 2018, the Government-commissioned Oakervee Review estimated that the final bill for HS2 could reach £106 billion (at 2019 prices).
Last October it emerged that the decision to switch from 11 platforms to 10 had wasted £105.6m.
The project has also sparked protests which saw members of the HS2 Rebellion group dig tunnels under Euston Square Gardens and occupy the space for a month.
