HS2

Catch up on the latest news, opinion and analysis relating to the UK’s troubled High Speed 2 rail project (HS2).

Do we judge large projects too harshly?

Crossrail's 'culture of over-optimism led to ignored warnings'

Only two out of 10 large infrastructure projects from across the world are on budget – at best. Only two out of 10 large infrastructure projects from across the world are on schedule... at best. This was the brutal assessment of project performance by the University of Cambridge research associate in…

HS2: Some transparency required

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On my second day at Construction News, former HS2 chairman Sir Terry Morgan told a House of Lords committee that "nobody knows" what the cost of HS2 will be. Over the weekend, news broke to make things a little clearer, with costs now expected to spiral by as much as…

Why HS2’s future hinges on the next few days

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The government confirmed earlier this week that HS2 would continue, despite a damning House of Lords economic committee report. However, as I write this, rumours abound that the prime minister's position is uncertain once again, in the wake of another attempt to sell her EU withdrawal deal to MPs. Unfavourable results…

A wake-up call for northern transport

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A report today from the House of Lords economic committee said that if work on HS2 had not already begun, “we would be urging the government to prioritise rail links between northern cities, rather than improving links with London, which are already good”. The committee advised the government to consider…

The pipe dream of infrastructure planning

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This morning Sir John Armitt called for the government to adopt a “clear vision for infrastructure”. He said the industry needs to “ensure the rational, considered and researched view is heard” and is not drowned out by “the urgent [...] shouting the loudest.” Taking time over formulating infrastructure policy could…

Top 5 project reports of the year so far

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It may only be April, but the CN team have been out and about the last few months covering some of the most interesting and high-profile projects currently under way across the country. Here are some of our highlights.

Top 5 interviews from 2018: Bam, HS2 and McAlpine

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This year we’ve featured Mark Thurston’s first full interview as HS2 boss, touched upon mental health with Trad chief Des Moore, and gone behind the scenes at the notoriously secretive McAlpine with its CEO Paul Hamer – here’s our top 5 interviews.

10 projects to watch in 2019

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Our list of 10 projects to watch this year include football stadiums (again), large commercial schemes and two of the largest infrastructure schemes in the country – all challenging in their different ways and worth keeping a close eye on as 2019 unfolds.