HS2’S top speed could be slashed to slower than comparable trains in developing countries such as India, Morocco and Indonesia under the latest cost-cutting measures being considered.
Ministers will today order HS2 bosses to look at slashing top speeds from the currently planned 360kph (224mph) to as little as 300kph (186mph).
By comparison, high-speed rail reaches up to 350kph (217mph) in China and Indonesia and 320kph (199mph) in Japan, Morocco and India.
Conventional trains in the UK run at speeds of up to 200kph (124mph). The definition of high-speed covers trains running at 250kph or more.
The move put Labour on a collision course with union barons, who said it would leave Britain ‘in the slow lane’.
Set to be announced later today by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the review is the latest attempt to shave billions of pounds more off the severely over-Budget, delayed and curtailed project.
She ordered HS2 bosses to review the potential savings from slashing top speeds to either 320kph or 300kph, with a final decision to be taken later this year. The originally planned top speed of 360kph would have made HS2 trains the fastest in the world.
HS2 trains could now become slower than comparable trains in developing countries such as India and Morocco
HS2 has burnt through more than £40billion since 2019 but is only half complete, meaning the London to Birmingham leg alone will likely cost more than £80billion
HS2 trains could now become slower than comparable trains in developing countries such as India and Morocco, under a review being announced today by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander
But no railway in the UK, or globally, is currently engineered for speeds so high.
It means a bespoke track would need to have been built to test trains, delaying completion by several more years and costing billions of pounds.
HS1, which Eurostar trains run on between London and Kent, is engineered to allow speeds of up to 300kph, meaning HS2 trains could be tested on this if they are lowered to this speed. France’s high-speed trains run at up to 320kph, while in Germany and Italy they run at 300kph.
Insiders said the latest move would only extend journey times between London and Birmingham, currently projected to be 41 minutes, by around three to five minutes because trains were rarely meant to reach 360kph. The fastest route with Avanti West Coast is currently around 75 minutes.
Ms Alexander said: ‘This Government is determined to deliver HS2 as effectively and efficiently as possible.
‘In doing so, I will look at every opportunity to claw back construction time, save taxpayers money and ensure the project delivers for the country.
‘I share the public’s anger about the waste and mess of the past which is why this Government is pulling HS2 out of its sclerosis and setting it on a more sensible course.’
HS2 CEO Mark Wild added: ‘We are rightly exploring options to create further efficiencies.
‘Speed has never been the primary objective. This railway will deliver better journeys, more capacity on the network, and economic growth – all of which are vital to the country’s future prosperity.’
The beleaguered high-speed rail project has swallowed up £46.2billion of taxpayers’ cash since 2019.
This was the year that it was given a budget of £44.6billion by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But it is only half complete despite already going over this budget.
HS2’s original route was supposed to connect London with Leeds and Manchester, but these legs were axed amid spiralling costs and delays
HS2 has been at the centre of complaints by residents who live near the route about noise and disruption caused by workmen
It means HS2 bosses have had to go grovelling for more money to Treasury officials, who are expected to hand over another £7billion from April for next year (2026/27), so building work can continue.
The project initially had a price tag of £37.5billion, including for eastern and western legs branching off further north to Leeds and Manchester from Birmingham, when first announced by the then Labour government in 2009.
But only Phase One, connecting London and Birmingham, will now go ahead after both northern legs were axed by previous Tory Governments amid spiralling costs and delays. Phase One alone is projected to cost more than £80billion and could even top £100billion.
It comes after the Mail revealed how HS2’s PR department still has nearly 100 staff costing up to £14million a year, which critics said showed the project has struggled to get spending under control.
Meanwhile, Mark Wild, who took over as CEO in December 2024, is in line for a total pay package of up to £940,000 this financial year.
It dwarfs the £676,763 that Mark Thurston, the previous CEO, got in his final year at the helm.
Tory MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, Greg Smith, whose constituents have been blighted by HS2 building works for several years, said: ‘The UK has never been able to afford this vanity project that won’t deliver anything useful for anyone.’
Maryam Eslamdoust, boss of the TSSA rail union, said: ‘HS2 must be safe but instead of offering a choice between further delays or reduced speeds, ministers should be seeking solutions now so that HS2 is running at full speed on day one.
‘Frankly anything else will leave Britain in the slow lane.’
