Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with HS2 Ltd on the the delay to the planned connection between High Speed 2 and the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre; what the additional cost to the public purse will be as a result of that delay; and what recent steps the she has taken to ensure that the HS2 project is delivered on time and within budget.

The Secretary of State for Transport and the Rail Minister have regular engagement with the CEO and Chair of HS2 Ltd to maintain oversight of the project and support their comprehensive reset of HS2.

The government has committed an unprecedented settlement of £25.3 billion to progress the delivery of HS2 and Euston up to 2029/30, which will fund construction of the new railway at the lowest reasonable cost. New estimates for the programme’s overall costs and schedule are being developed as part of the HS2 reset.

The four-year deferral of works between Delta Junction and Handsacre Junction will enable construction efforts to focus on the cost-efficient delivery of HS2’s opening stage between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street.

The works in this area were already paused, meaning the further deferral will not incur demobilisation costs. There will be some additional costs from prolongation and inflation, but these are necessary given the HS2 reset and the need to budget carefully in the wider context of total government spending.

The Secretary of State informed the House of the action she took to bring HS2’s delivery under control in an oral statement she made in June 2025 and in her HS2 progress report of July 2025. Further updates will be provided in the Department’s future six-monthly reports to Parliament.