Public Accounts Committee publishes report on High Speed Two rail project

Article summary

The Public Accounts Committee has published a report stating that the High Speed Two (HS2) rail project has gone ‘badly off course’, with it now estimated to cost up to £88bn, despite an original budget of £55.7bn. In addition to cost increases and delays, the Committee has argued that public confidence in the programme has been undermined by the Department for Transport’s lack of transparency and a failure to provide Parliament with clear warnings. The Committee has demanded the government to provide regular, accurate and open updates on the problems the project is facing, to create greater transparency for the future.