LONDON – The proposed high-speed British rail project between northern England and London may cost up to 106 billion pounds which is 25% above recent predictions.
A report stated that there was a considerable risk of the High Speed 2 (HS2) project costing more than the previously set 81-88 billion pound budget set by the government in September.
Work on the project’s second phase should be paused to arrive at a decision whether a combination of conventional and high-speed lines could be used instead.
The British rail system is considered to be the backbone of the national transport network and these 345 miles of high-speed track can slash travel time using rail types already in use by other major countries.
Opponents have criticised the cost of the project saying it may cost lesser and be faster to spend it on boosting services already in place on conventional lines.
The HS2 review suggested that the first part of the project which stretches from London to Birmingham should go ahead “on balance”.
Further work must be done to measure regional growth impact and it is hard to assess economic benefits resulting from building it.
Transport minister Grant Shapps received the report and the government is set to make a decision in a few weeks.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.