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Panorama to expose the reality of HS2
16/09/2024
One independent assessment estimates the cost of the London to Birmingham leg could be twice the anticipated cost of the entire project
What has gone wrong with HS2 and how have billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money been blown on the project?
Those questions are being posed by a BBC Panorama investigation this evening. The programme will be talking to both politicians, whistle-blowers and people living along the route, which has left scars on the landscape in the Banbury FM area.
HS2 was sold as the railway of the future – an engineering feat which would get Britain moving and help level up.
But work on sections to the north of Birmingham were abandoned by the previous Conservative government and the new Labour government is yet to make any statement on HS2, leaving its future uncertain.
The programme quotes one independent assessment of the project which estimates the cost of the London to Birmingham leg could be £88bn – more than double the budget for the entire line.
The Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham told Panorama the situation was shocking.
He said: “The handling of HS2 should be like a morality tail in Whitehall: this is how not to do it. This was the worst example of utter waste of public money.”
Panorama is on BBC1 tonight at 8pm.
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam