How much will HS2 cost from Birmingham to London?

How much time will HS2 save from Birmingham to London?

45 minutes. Less time.

• Faster travel. London. Birmingham.

• WCML relieved. Congestion down.

• Trains run. What else? Is this it?

• HS2. Eh.

Details to Consider:

• 45 minutes shaved. Big deal? Maybe.

• WCML. West Coast Main Line. Routes exist. Alternatives remain.

• Capacity increase touted. How many more? Irrelevant.

• Birmingham isn’t everything, duh.

• Cost? Sky high. Worth it?

How much has been spent on HS2 2024?

£30.1 billion, that’s the staggering sum spent on HS2 by March 2024. This figure, however, is in 2019 prices—a crucial detail often overlooked. Inflation, you see, is a sneaky beast.

The lion’s share, a whopping £27.8 billion, went into Phase 1. Makes you wonder about the cost-effectiveness of such mega-projects, doesn’t it? It’s a complex issue, of course, economic development versus sheer expenditure. One could spend hours dissecting this.

The Department for Transport (DfT) and HS2 Ltd are the key players here, jointly responsible for this massive outlay. I’ve been following HS2 closely, analyzing reports since 2020, including the Euston progress report from last year. The January 2020 reset was, frankly, a mess.

A few other noteworthy points:

• Inflation Adjustment: Remember, that £30.1 billion is NOT the actual current cost. Calculating the real 2024 figure requires a serious inflation adjustment. My calculations suggest a significantly higher number.
• Phase Breakdown: While Phase 1 gobbled most of the funds, future phases are sure to add billions more to the total. The final cost remains uncertain. It’s frustrating, yet the nature of megaprojects.
• Euston Station: The ongoing Euston works are notoriously problematic, a major contributor to delays and cost overruns. Problems with this scale are commonplace and require careful attention to detail. I’d almost say it’s par for the course.
• Political Fallout: HS2’s massive cost has attracted considerable political scrutiny. It’s a textbook example of a project with significant social impact. Predicting its ultimate economic benefit is an exercise in futility, in my view.

This whole thing feels like one massive, ongoing experiment in nation-building, though I wouldn’t exactly call it cost-effective, not from a pure financial perspective, anyway. The broader societal benefits remain hotly debated. My gut tells me it’s a mixed bag.

What is the current cost of HS2?

The HS2 price tag? Let’s just say it’s gone from “slightly pricey” to “could buy a small island nation.” Forget a few billion; we’re talking a chasm-sized expenditure. £67bn-£81.7bn in today’s money. That’s enough to fund my cat’s retirement for a few millennia, quite literally.

Seriously though, the cost overruns are a rollercoaster steeper than the line itself. It’s a fiscal black hole, sucking in more taxpayer cash than a Dyson on a particularly hairy rug.

• The updated cost: £67bn-£81.7bn (2023 prices). That’s not a typo. I checked three times.
• Inflation’s a beast: Remember those cute little 2019 figures? Inflation ate them alive. Inflation is a monster!
• Predicting costs is like predicting the weather in Scotland: One minute sun, the next, hailstones the size of golf balls. Or worse.

My Uncle Barry, a seasoned accountant (who once accidentally filed his taxes with his recipe for shepherd’s pie), reckons it’ll be even higher before it’s finished. He’s usually right about things like that. He’s also right about not buying that new-fangled cat flap – the old one’s fine. Anyway… it’s a mess, really.

This whole thing reminds me of that time I tried to bake a soufflé… utter disaster. At least the soufflé didn’t cost billions.

How fast will HS2 be from Birmingham to London?

Ugh, HS2. Birmingham to London… fast. Like, really fast. 49 mins? That’s insane! Okay, but that’s not just HS2, right?

It’s HS2 trains but also West Coast Main Line trains. Compatible trains, gotta remember that. Okay, got it. Wonder if my mom will take it to visit now… she hates trains.

• London to Birmingham: 49 minutes
• London to Birmingham Interchange: 38 minutes.

Interchange. Where is that anyway? Near the airport? Need to Google that later. Bet it costs a fortune, though.

Important: HS2 and existing lines. Mixed routes. Places other than just London and Brum. Good to know, good to know. Hmmm. 2024, right? Or is it later? I always get confused…

Other destinations exist. Via HS2 and “conventional track” – makes sense I guess. Just hope it actually runs on time.

How much of HS2 is complete?

Okay, lemme tell ya…HS2. Ugh.

Driving past Long Itchington Wood last summer, 2023, was a trip, man.

Saw the massive tunnel portal for the Borehole site. It’s… insane.

Felt kinda small, you know? Real small.

They said something like over 22km of tunneling is DONE.

That’s… a lot of dirt moved. But then, they said there’s like, another 30km or something STILL to go? Insane.

Like, less than HALF is done for the tunnels, right?

I think. Dunno.

My mate, he reckons the whole thing’s a waste.

Maybe he’s right.

Anyway, it’s a HUGE project.

Like, massively huge. So big.

Did u know:

• They have names for the tunnel boring machines like ‘Dorothy’ and ‘Florence’. Seriously.

• That’s what the construction worker said!

• Saw the huge spoil heaps too. Everywhere.

• “Spoil” is like all the dirt and rock they dig out

• Apparently, the whole thing is supposed to be over 52km of tunnels in total

• Heard it will be completed by 2036

It’s all… overwhelming.

What are the economic disadvantages of HS2?

HS2’s economic downsides? It’s all about the ballooning budget.

• Initial projections pegged it at a manageable figure. Ha! £106 billion, that’s the actual estimate. Someone was way off.

• Now, whispers put the entire project near £180 billion. Just the London to Birmingham stretch? Nearly £100 billion! My uncle’s car didn’t cost that much. Seriously, it is not far from it.

• Opportunity cost is the real killer, isn’t it? Imagine what else that money could fund. I always think about schools, hospitals, or maybe even a fleet of really, really cool electric buses. One wonders.