Ministers are reportedly looking to review the entire High Speed 2 (HS2) rail line in a bid to cut ballooning costs.
The Department for Transport is set to commission the government-owned company, HS2 Ltd, to rethink the scheme, including axing parts of the proposed line, The Times reports.
An assessment of the high-speed rail line could also lead to delaying completion of the project as late as 2045 - 12 years later than originally planned, according to reports.
Options include scrapping the 40-mile stretch of line from Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway, near Nottingham, and delays and cuts to the first phase of the project that will link London to Birmingham, according to insiders.
The section north of Crewe could be gone, and trains could instead run into Manchester on existing tracks.
The opening of the section from Old Oak Common, west London, to Euston could also be delayed, according to The Times.
Meanwhile sources told the Financial Times that two reviews - looking into short-term and long-term cost cutting - would run until the summer with no final decisions made before then.
The cost of HS2 has soared from £33bn a decade ago to an estimated £100bn, while the transport department’s capital budget is being slashed under Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has allegedly met with John Glen, chief secretary to the Treasury, to discuss plans to cut billions of pounds from the department’s capital budget after 2025.
Rumours that the HS2 might not run to its planned Euston terminal were quashed by Mr Hunt last month.
“I don’t see any conceivable circumstances in which that would not end up at Euston. And indeed I prioritised HS2 in the autumn statement,” he said on January 27.
HS2 trains will link the biggest cities in Scotland with Manchester, Birmingham and London.
It’s the largest infrastructure project in Europe. Civil engineering works are underway with £23 billion contracted into the supply chain and more than 350 active sites between the West Midlands and London.
The new high-speed line will run between the North West and the South East, stopping at Manchester, Birmingham and London with trains continuing on the existing network to Scotland and elsewhere.
170 miles of new high-speed line is already under construction between Crewe and London.
The Government is planning more than 260 miles of new high speed line across the country.
