The Tory Government has refused to deny reports that the multi-billion flagship HS2 project linking the North and the Midlands to the capital may never actually reach central London anymore.
The shambolic project has been blighted by soaring inflation and rising construction costs and bosses are said to be considering scaling it back, with suggestions major sectors of the line may be forced to close or scrapped altogether.
It could mean that the central Euston terminus is delayed to 2038 or scrapped altogether, meaning one of the key promises of the flagship scheme may never be met - after its construction caused major upheaval across England, knocking down homes, schools and businesses and removing green spaces.
Work has already begun at Birmingham's Curzon Street station in the city centre - but it is reported a two to five-year delay to the entire project is now being considered.
The new plans discuss high-speed trains running from the suburb of Old Oak Common in West London rather than Euston to save money.
This would mean that commuters will have to actually use the new Elizabeth line to complete their journeys into central London.
And it has sparked fears that Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester's legs of the plan will also be scrapped entirely.
One ex-HS2 employee told The Sun: “There are a number of options for getting the costs down and none of them is very nice.
“Either you scrap Euston, or you have to slow down the whole project and hope inflation comes down.”
Last year, ministers were said to be looking at to be reviewing the costs for HS2. The budget for the whole of the route was set at £55.7billion in 2015. And the target cost of building the link between London and Birmingham was said to be £40.3billion in 2019.
The target cost of Phase One between London and Birmingham was £40.3 billion at 2019 prices.
But reports today suggest the first London to Birmingham phase alone could cost £60billion.
However, the government has refused to confirm or deny reports.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The Government remains committed to delivering HS2 to Manchester, as confirmed in the autumn statement.
“As well as supporting tens of thousands of jobs, the project will connect regions across the UK, improve capacity on our railways and provide a greener option of travel.”
The Tories have previously been accused of "selling out the North" and betraying their vow to 'level up' the UK, as promise after promise over northern rail links and HS2 were broken in recent years.
The project has repeatedly been called into question over the years over its massive financial and environmental impact.
Penny Gaines of the campaign group Stop HS2 said it is "not at all surprising" that costs are spiralling out of control, and she called for HS2 to be scrapped "in its entirety".
She added: "These reports just show that there are so many problems with HS2. It's being delayed further and further so the cost is going up, it should be cancelled in its entirety as soon as possible.
"Stop spending money building a railway people don't need. Use the money to restore the countryside and the areas that are being devastated by HS2 and look at the solutions that people need in the 21st century.
"It's London-centric and now it turns out that it's not even going to manage to get to the centre of London."
The current leader of Camden Council, Councillor Georgia Gould, said HS2 has knocked down 200 homes and in her central London borough and "razed sections to the ground".
She said: “These reports represent more unacceptable uncertainty to a project which has already knocked down 200 homes in Camden and razed sections of our borough to the ground.
“HS2 construction has left a deep scar in our communities - our residents have had their homes knocked down, their school and businesses have been demolished and their green space has been removed.
“Our residents will fear that they will have to endure years of disruption for absolutely no benefit at the end of it. They must see the new homes, green spaces and opportunities they were promised - HS2 must not walk away and abandon our communities.”
While the former leader of Camden Council, Sarah Hayward, branded the development "quite extraordinary" and said communities have been "blighted" for years.
She posted on Twitter: "The communities and businesses in the surrounds of the station have already been blighted for nearly 15 years.
"But more than that, it asks very fundamental questions about how the UK business cases and costs very long term infrastructure investment.
"These questions were obvious at the outset of the project and remained through both Labour and Tory governments."
