UK Inquiry Tracker

HS2 and Euston: Recall

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 31 Jul 2023 Closed: 3 Apr 2024 Parliament page

In July 2023, the Committee reported that the Department for Transport (DfT) does not know what it is trying to achieve with the High Speed 2 station at Euston, despite spending over eight years planning and designing it. Construction work at Euston was paused for two years in March 2023. … Read more In July 2023, the Committee reported that the Department for Transport (DfT) does not know what it is trying to achieve with the High Speed 2 station at Euston, despite spending over eight years planning and designing it. Construction work at Euston was paused for two years in March 2023. The Committee has called on the DfT to use the pause to finally establish the design and expectations for the station against what it is willing to spend, while noting that the costs and impacts of the pause for the local community and small businesses remain unknown. The Committee will question senior officials at the DfT and HS2 Ltd. on progress on the project since its April 2023 evidence session and leadership changes at HS2 following the Committee’s report. Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, said: “The HS2 Euston project is floundering. This is a multi-billion pound scheme which has already caused major disruption to the local community put on pause. The pause, ostensibly to save money, is not cost free – mothballing and possible compensation for businesses which have lost work will all need to be added to the HS2 tally. The Government must now be clear what it is trying to achieve with this new station, and how it will benefit the public. “Our report found that a wildly unrealistic budget for HS2 Euston was set in 2020 in the expectation that it would be revised. The Government must demonstrate that that it is not just repeating the same mistakes of unrealistic costings. HS2 Euston has shown us that forging ahead over-optimistically in an unclear direction is clearly not the right approach.” If you have evidence on these issues, please submit it here by 23:59 on Friday 10 November 2023. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee will not be scrutinising policy decisions in relation to HS2 Euston or the HS2 project. Show less

3 Recommendations

29 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

5 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 9 events

2 Apr
2024

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Tenth report from Session 2023-24

7 Feb
2024

Report published

Tenth Report - HS2 and Euston

10 Jan
2024

Correspondence

Correspondence from Sir Jon Thompson, Executive Chair, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, re Public Accounts Committee HS2 and Euston: Recall (16th …

10 Jan
2024

Correspondence

Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Follow-up to the session of Thursday 16 No…

16 Nov
2023

Oral evidence

HS2 and Euston

16 Nov
2023

Correspondence

Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Accounting Officer Assessment of Decision …

16 Nov
2023

Correspondence

Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Accounting Officer Assessment of Decision …

16 Nov
2023

Correspondence

Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Accounting Officer Assessment of Decision …

16 Nov
2023

Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster

HS2 and Euston

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

16 Nov 2023

View on parliament.uk

HS2 and Euston

Alan Over · Department for Transport Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB · Department for Transport Dr Nick Bisson · Department for Transport Sir Jon Thompson KCB · High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Tenth Report - HS2 and Euston	HC 67	7 Feb 2024	32	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

2 results

27 Conclusion Deferred

Tenth Report - HS2 and Euston

Releasing acquired Phase 2 land faces complex and time-consuming 'Crichel Down' rules.

The Department said it needed to assess what land that had been acquired for Phase 2b might need to be retained for Northern Powerhouse Rail and for some local interests, where the local authorities would like to retain the land. … Read more

Government Response

The government states it disagrees, but explains it is developing a programme for selling acquired Phase 2 land, which will balance value for money and local interests, and aims to share its plan by summer 2024.

HM Treasury

View details

29 Conclusion Deferred

Tenth Report - HS2 and Euston

Process for returning unused HS2 Phase 1 land remains painfully slow

We also highlighted that, where some Phase 1 land was going through the process of being returned (it could have been taken for temporary reasons such as utility diversions) the process had been painful and lengthy. HS2 Ltd said that … Read more

Government Response

The government states it disagrees, but explains it is developing a programme for selling acquired Phase 2 land which will balance value for money and local interests, and aims to share its plan by summer 2024, noting it will look to expedite work for compulsorily acquired land.

HM Treasury

View details

Government Response AI assessment · 32 of 3 classified

Accepted 22

Acknowledged 7

Deferred 2

Rejected 1

Total 3 recs + 29 conclusions

Correspondence 5 letters

10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Sir Jon Thompson, Executive Chair, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, re Public Accounts Committee HS2 and Euston: Recall (16th November) follow up, dated 11 December 2023

Parliament page

10 Jan 2024 Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Follow-up to the session of Thursday 16 November 2023 - HS2 and Euston, dated 8 December 2023

Parliament page

16 Nov 2023 Correspondence from Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB, Permanent Secretary, Department for Transport, re Accounting Officer Assessment of Decision to complete Phase 1 of HS2 – revision to BCR Range, dated 14 November 2023

Parliament page