Pause HS2 reset until you are confident it can be delivered, NAO tells ministers

HS2 is now expected to cost up to £102.7bn, with trains not running until as late as 2039 – £70bn more and 13 years later than originally promised. Photograph: HS2/PA

Revised plans for HS2 should not be put into action until the government is confident they can be delivered, according to the public spending watchdog.

The project to build the high-speed railway must be put on a stable footing to avoid a repeat of past failures, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report.