Building HS2 between London and Birmingham alone will cost as much as £66.6bn, almost twice the original estimate for the entire project, according to Sir Jon Thompson, the executive chair of HS2 Ltd.
Sir Jon admitted on Wednesday that the cost has soared from an initial estimate under Gordon Brown’s government that it would cost just £37.5bn (in 2009 prices). That was under the original plans for the project, which included connections to Leeds and Manchester that have since been scrapped.
