Another blow for HS2 as Birmingham leg pushed back

National World - LocalTV

The Birmingham stretch of HS2 has been delayed again. The government now says the high-speed rail line won’t arrive before 2033. Reporter Richard Gullick examines what this means for the West Midlands, amid spiralling costs, political backlash, and growing concern over the project’s future.

Transcript

00:00HS2 was once pitched as a national priority, a high-speed line to close the gap between London and the Midlands,

00:09faster journeys, more capacity and a signal that the country was thinking global term.

00:15But the latest update confirms what many suspected, Birmingham won't see a completed line before 2033

00:21and even that feels less like a promise and more like a placeholder.

00:25It's the latest chapter in a project better known for what it hasn't delivered,

00:29what started with glossy brochures and grand speeches has now become a symbol of drift.

00:34The cost? Over £100bn and counting, more than three times the original budget

00:40and while the spending rises, the track doesn't.

00:43Government blames inflation, supply chains and engineering complexity.

00:47Critics point to weaker oversight, bloated contracts and a leadership structure

00:52that's seen more reshuffles than a bad cabinet.

00:55Here in the Midlands the knock-on effects are real.

00:57While businesses planned for growth, local councils greenlit developments around the supposed arrival,

01:03thousands of jobs and apprenticeships were tied to a timetable that continues to slide further into the future.

01:10Ministers now say changes are underway, a new chair, fresh reviews and another round of lessons learnt.

01:17But confidence isn't restored by committee and for people here.

01:21It's hard to ignore the feeling that once again London gets the decisions and the Midlands gets the delays.

01:27HS2 was meant to close the gap, instead it's become a £100bn reminder that in British infrastructure,

01:34arrival times are always subject to change.

01:41Only one step in front with the incoming point of Flug.

01:44I'm going to go to the office in the middle of an country.

01:46It's been a tough train of picking up with the midlands.

01:47I'm going to move over, my friends.

01:49It's been a three-hour journey.

01:51I'm going to play.

01:52And I'm going to start.

01:53I'm going to open.

01:54I'm going to be able to make a look at theARA Bridge.

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