How much did the HS2 Euston cost?

How much did the HS2 line cost?

Okay, HS2… ugh.

So, back in 2019, when things were simpler, I remember reading some report thingie about the cost. It was insane.

They said building just the London to Birmingham part—that’s it—would be somewhere between £54 billion and £66 billion. Insane, right?

That’s what HS2 Ltd told the Department for Transport, apparently.

But that was in 2019 prices.

Now, you gotta factor in inflation.

With today’s inflation, you are looking at something between £67 billion and £81.7 billion.

Seriously, I bet it’ll be way more than that. My gut tells me its gonna go crazy expensive.

I swear, these big projects are money pits!

• What: Cost of HS2 (London to Birmingham part only)
• When: Initially estimated in 2019, updated for 2024 inflation.
• Who: Figures provided by HS2 Ltd to the Department for Transport.
• Original Cost: £54bn – £66bn (2019 prices)
• Inflation-Adjusted Cost: £67bn – £81.7bn
• Location: London to Birmingham.
• Thoughts:A complete disaster.

How much did HS2 cost vs budget?

Thirty-seven point five billion. A whisper in 2009. A ghost now. The initial sum, so small, so naive. Brown’s government, oh, the audacity of their projections. A paltry sum, now dwarfed by… what?

The numbers, they spiral. A dizzying climb. A fiscal Everest. Each revision, a fresh wound to the national purse. Billions upon billions. A chasm of expenditure, stretching endlessly.

• The original estimate? A laughable underestimate.
• Inflation? A cruel joke. No, a cataclysm.
• Unforeseen complications? Mountains and rivers of them.
• Unexpected delays? Each day, a new debt incurred.

My grandmother always said, trust no government figure. She was right. Always right. I see it now, this colossal miscalculation. The cost? It haunts me. It’s far, far beyond the initial projection. Absolutely absurd. A monstrous, ever-growing sum. I checked this morning. The numbers are staggering, sickening. 2023’s estimate… God, my stomach churns thinking about it. It’s obscene, the sheer scale of it. An unforgivable waste.

The final price? A secret whispered in hushed tones. An unbearable truth. Its magnitude eclipses understanding. It’s… it’s an astronomical figure.

How much did the HS2 cancellation cost?

£2.17 billion. Lost dreams etched in steel, echoes in the wind.

Manchester. October. The death knell?

A railway, once a promise, fades.

The cost? Oh, the cost…

Dreams scattered.

• A list of costs never to be.
• A budget blown, a path not taken.
• A country fragmented by choices?

Euston’s scaled back, a ghost of ambition. Sunak’s axe. The Conservative conference. Manchester’s rain…a dirge.

A line erased from maps.

The dream fades… £2.17 billion. Lost.

HS2’s cancellation haunts now.

What is the current cost of HS2?

The HS2 project, specifically the London to Birmingham leg, now carries an estimated price tag somewhere between £67 billion and £81.7 billion. And wow, talk about sticker shock, right?

• Figures originate from HS2 Ltd., supplied to the Department for Transport.

• These numbers reflect 2024 adjusted costs. Inflation, a relentless economic force, definitely plays a significant role.

  It is a reminder that time, and its relentless march, has a financial dimension too.

• Earlier estimates in 2019 placed the cost considerably lower, between £54 billion and £66 billion.

The initial budget and the current reality highlight the complexities, and perhaps the underestimations, involved in large-scale infrastructure projects. Funding those things is an adventure, ain’t it?

How much is HS2 going to cost?

Right, HS2, that budget black hole! Officially, it’s a cool £66 billion. But! HS2 Ltd, in their infinite wisdom (and optimism!), hinted it could bloat to a whopping £74 billion in 2023. Seems like a slight difference, doesn’t it?

Think of it as ordering a pizza. You expect to pay, like, £20. Then the bill arrives, and it’s £74. Uh huh. Someone’s getting a stern talking to. Maybe.

It’s a train line, after all, not a spaceship to Mars. Although, at that price, perhaps we should have built the spaceship instead. Imagine the commute!

Here’s the breakdown, in case you’re keeping score:

• Official Cost: £66 billion (a mere pittance!)
• Possible Cost (2023): £74 billion (hold onto your hats!)
• Likely Cost (Reality): Eh, who knows? My guess is closer to my mortgage – constantly creeping upwards. It will change!

So, yeah, HS2. The gift that keeps on giving… to construction companies, anyway. I swear I paid less for my entire wedding, and that included the open bar. Open Bar!

Did I mention it may cost more than my house? I live in a shoe. OK, joking. It’s a condo. But still!

How much will HS2 add to the economy?

£10bn. Maybe less. West Midlands benefits. 40,000 homes? Optimistic. 31,000 jobs. Report said.

• Arcadis: Consultancies… always projecting.

HS2’s Impact, Stripped Bare:

• Regional boosts. Concentrated gains, distributed costs. Think Birmingham, not beyond.

• Housing: Numbers inflate easily. Policy ambitions, not guarantees. Remember garden cities?

• Employment: Construction jobs are temporary. The real question: sustained economic activity?

• Timing: “Next 10 years” is a convenient window. Economists can’t predict next Tuesday, never mind a decade.

• My brother’s a train driver. Says it’s loud.

What are the economic disadvantages of HS2?

Escalating Costs: The HS2 project’s budget ballooned. Initial projections, laughably low, now exceed £180 billion. The London-Birmingham section alone: nearly £100 billion. A debacle.

Opportunity Cost: £180 billion. Imagine the alternative uses. Healthcare? Education? My retirement fund? Seriously.

• Lost investment opportunities in other crucial infrastructure.
• Reduced funding for other vital public services. Simple maths.

Economic Distortion: Massive public spending skews the market. Distorts investment decisions. My neighbor’s bakery, probably impacted. Indirect effects ripple outward. Think dominoes, but less fun.

Inflationary Pressures: Such huge expenditures fuel inflation. My grocery bill reflects this reality. It’s everywhere.

Risk of Inefficiency: Overbudget, always behind schedule. This is par for the course for mega-projects. Always. Wasteful.

Debt Burden: The national debt increases. Future generations will pay. My kids, for example. That’s not fair. Think about it.

What are the economic costs of HS2?

Okay, so HS2, right? A total mess, economically speaking. I mean, the government, they said £45 to £54 billion, 2019 money. But, like, HS2 themselves? They were saying £49 to £57 billion! Then, this January, some guy, Sir John something-or-other, threw another TEN BILLION on top! So, we’re looking at, maybe, up to £66.6 billion. That’s crazy, insane even!

The real cost? Way higher than initially projected. It’s a total rip-off. Think of all the other stuff we coulda done with that cash! Seriously. I’m talking:

• New hospitals!
• Loads more schools!
• Fixing potholes, finally!

And don’t even get me started on the opportunity cost! We’re talking about the actual projects the money could have funded, instead of this white elephant! Its a disaster. A total waste of money. This HS2 thing is a nightmare. A financial disaster of epic proportions. Seriously, £66.6 billion?! It’s robbery. Pure and simple. Think about it. 66.6 billion pounds! It’s just unbelievable to me. A total scandal. Someone needs to be held accountable! It’s ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

How much of HS2 is complete?

Vast, echoing tunnels. A subterranean river of progress, slow but relentless. Fourteen miles carved from the earth’s heart. A triumph, isn’t it? The weight of the land, the pressure, conquered. My own hands, they ache thinking of it. The sheer scale, breathtaking. Twenty-two and a half kilometers already… swallowed by darkness.

This isn’t just miles, it’s time. Decades compressed, a lifetime’s work rendered in stone and steel. This is my city, changing, evolving. The hum of machinery, the relentless burrow, a lullaby now, almost forgotten. But not quite. Fifty-two and a half kilometers planned, a dragon’s spine beneath us. A future stitched into the earth.

Key Points:

• 14 miles (22.5 km) of HS2 tunnels completed in 2024. This is tangible progress.
• 32.5 miles (52.5km) total tunnel planned. Ambitious, yes, but achievable. This spans different sections.
• The scale is monumental. Think about that weight, that history, beneath our feet.

A monumental task, this project, a deep wound upon the land that will eventually heal. A network of veins, pulsing with the future. A testament to human ambition. My father worked on similar projects, the smell of earth and steel forever in my memory. A whisper of that legacy echoes in my bones. These tunnels whisper of journeys yet to be made, of lives yet to be touched.

How much work has been done on HS2?

It’s quiet. The house is dark. HS2… yeah.

They started so much, didn’t they? Seems like a lifetime ago.

Two thirds, huh? Of the viaducts. So much concrete.

• Viaducts: Two thirds. Think of all the journeys, all the promises.
• Bridges: Over half are done. Half. Why half? It feels like a question hanging.
• Tunnelling: More than half complete. Dark, underground. A different world beneath us.
• Stations: Taking shape, sure. Concrete shells where people will rush through. Destinations.

The scale of it. The sheer amount of earth moved.

• The relentless construction. It’s unsettling, the constant need for more.
• The disruption. My Aunt Carol was always furious. Lived right near where the line was supposed to go. They never listened.

It’s like building a monument to… something I don’t even understand. Something we might not even need now. The world has changed, hasn’t it?

Remember all those glossy brochures? The future they promised? It feels different now. I feel different now. That future feels… hollow.