Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which phases of HS2 will be delayed; how long will those delays will be; and if he will he make a statement.

HS2’s opening stage will be delivered to schedule, with the first high-speed services running between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street, by 2033.

We remain committed to delivering HS2 services to Euston, and will address affordability pressures to ensure the overall spending profile is manageable. We will therefore take the time to ensure we have an affordable and deliverable station design, delivering Euston alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester.

On Phase 2a (West Midlands to Crewe), the Department for Transport expects to re-phase construction by two years with an aim to deliver high-speed services to Crewe and the North West as soon as possible after accounting for the delay in construction. The updated delivery-into-service range will be formally confirmed later this year.

On the Phase 2b Western Leg (Crewe to Manchester), the High Speed Rail (Crewe - Manchester) Bill is currently working its way through Parliament and the Government is continuing to look to deliver this section of the railway within the existing 2035-2041 delivery-into-service range.

No delivery-into-service range has yet been set for HS2 East, as the section remains in early development.

A Written Ministerial Statement was laid on 9 March 2023 and I responded to an Urgent Question on HS2 on 14 March 2023.