UK Inquiry Tracker

HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 31 Oct 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 Parliament page

In October 2023, the Government announced the cancellation of Phase 2 of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway from the West Midlands to Manchester, as well as a smaller HS2 station in London Euston. Following this announcement, the Department for Transport (DfT) and DfT’s arm’s-length body HS2 Ltd began work … Read more In October 2023, the Government announced the cancellation of Phase 2 of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway from the West Midlands to Manchester, as well as a smaller HS2 station in London Euston. Following this announcement, the Department for Transport (DfT) and DfT’s arm’s-length body HS2 Ltd began work to understand the implications for the HS2 programme, including identifying how HS2 Ltd would close down Phase 2, and how DfT would deliver and fund HS2’s Euston station. The National Audit Office’s (NAO) July 2024 report noted that HS2 remains by any measure an extremely large and complex endeavor despite its reduced size. The report found that closing down Phase 2 will take three years, at an estimated cost of up to £100m. It also found plans for resetting the Euston element were at an early stage, with DfT not yet decided on scope, funding or governance. The report highlighted the need for DfT and HS2 Ltd to reset HS2 successfully in order to avoid the repetition of past failures and to maximise the project’s value. The Public Accounts Committee has scrutinised the delivery of HS2 since the early days of the project, with its first report on the topic in 2013. The Committee’s February 2024 report found that the scheme now represented very poor value for money following the cancellation of its Northern leg, with the total costs for delivering only Phase 1 significantly outweighing its benefits. It also highlighted failures of governance and oversight over spiraling costs after years of warnings. Based on the NAO report, the Committee will hear from senior DfT and HS2 Ltd officials on topics including: - Closing down Phase 2 and management of changes and risks; - Work to dispose of land and property acquired by DfT; and - How DfT and HS2 Ltd will deliver value for money from HS2. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 23:59 on Thursday 05 December 2024. Show less

8 Recommendations

43 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

15 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 19 events

4 Sep
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and High Speed Two Limited Chief Executive relating to the 10th Report …

9 Jul
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Transport and the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd relating to Bat mitigation on HS2, 8…

8 Jul
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and the Chief Executive Officer at HS2 Ltd relating to the recommendati…

3 Jul
2025

Correspondence

Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the updated estimate of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at S…

30 Jun
2025

Correspondence

Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the Treasury Minute Response on HS2 update following the Nort…

26 Jun
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Interim Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and Chief Executive of High Speed Two Limited relating to the S…

9 Jun
2025

Correspondence

Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the cost breakdown of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at She…

19 May
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the 10th Report of Session 2024-25, HS2: update following t…

16 May
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Tenth report from Session 2024-25

17 Mar
2025

Correspondence

Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the HS2 Euston tunnelling schedule, 06 March 2025

28 Feb
2025

Report published

10th Report - HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation

4 Feb
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the cost breakdown of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at S…

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

19 Dec 2024

View on parliament.uk

Alan Foster · HS2 Ltd Alan Over · Department for Transport Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB · Department for Transport Mark Wild · HS2 Ltd

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
10th Report - HS2: Update following the Northern leg cancellation	HC 357	28 Feb 2025	51	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

1 result

45 Conclusion Not Addressed

10th Report - HS2: Update followin…

East-west rail connectivity in the North now considered as series of programmes

The Department told us it is also carrying out development work on how to improve the east–west rail connectivity in the north of England. It said that this may well now be considered as a series of programmes and choices … Read more

Government Response

The government provides a boilerplate response focused on land disposal for Phase 2, which does not address the committee's observation regarding east-west rail connectivity in the north of England.

HM Treasury

View details

Government Response AI assessment · 51 of 8 classified

Accepted 22

Acknowledged 4

Deferred 23

Not Addressed 1

Rejected 1

Total 8 recs + 43 conclusions

Correspondence 15 letters

4 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and High Speed Two Limited Chief Executive relating to the 10th Report of Session 2024-25, HS2: update following the Northern leg cancellation, recommendation 1 and 4, 22 July 2025

Parliament page

9 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Transport and the Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd relating to Bat mitigation on HS2, 8 July 2025

Parliament page

8 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and the Chief Executive Officer at HS2 Ltd relating to the recommendations of the Committee's 10th report, HS2: Update following the Northern Leg cancellation, 07 July 2025

Parliament page

3 Jul 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the updated estimate of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at Sheephouse Wood, 03 July 2025

Parliament page

30 Jun 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the Treasury Minute Response on HS2 update following the Northern Leg cancellation, 24 June 2025

Parliament page

26 Jun 2025 To committee Letter from the Interim Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport and Chief Executive of High Speed Two Limited relating to the Sheephouse Wood bat mitigation structure, 20 June 2025

Parliament page

9 Jun 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the cost breakdown of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at Sheephouse Wood, 05 June 202

Parliament page

19 May 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the 10th Report of Session 2024-25, HS2: update following the Northern leg cancellation, Recommendation 2, 4, and 8, 15 May 2025

Parliament page

17 Mar 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the HS2 Euston tunnelling schedule, 06 March 2025

Parliament page

4 Feb 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the cost breakdown of the HS2 bat mitigation structure at Sheephouse Wood, 31 January 2025

Parliament page

20 Jan 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to a follow up on questions during the oral evidence session held on 19 December 2024, 10 January 2025

Parliament page

20 Jan 2025 To committee Letter from the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at High Speed Two (HS2) Limited relating to the oral evidence session on 19 December 2024, 10 January 2025

Parliament page

20 Jan 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to a follow up on HS2 Resident’s and Construction Commissioner role, 10 January 2025

Parliament page

2 Jan 2025 From committee Letter to the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the oral evidence session held on 19 December 2024, 23 December 2024

Parliament page

19 Dec 2024 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the publication of the High Speed Two (HS2) Parliamentary Report, 17 December 2024

Parliament page