The Transport Secretary giveth, the Transport Secretary taketh away. Louise Haigh has given the strongest signal yet that HS2 will run to London Euston. At the same time, she announced a delay in the decision over the Lower Thames Crossing, the new £9 billion link between Kent and Essex, until next spring.
Funding the HS2 link to Euston ought to be something of a no-brainer. It would be ludicrous for an apparently high-speed, high-capacity rail line into the capital to terminate at Old Oak Common, forcing passengers off in the West London suburbs. Postponing the Lower Thames is disappointing but unsurprising, given the timeline was set by the previous Conservative Government.
