HS2’s never-ending fiasco is a case study in how not to build

timeHe is independent have developed a close interest in HS2 Since the plan was proposed Andrew AdonisTransport Secretary in the previous Labor Government in 2009. We cautiously support this ideabut fears the UK government’s record in managing large infrastructure projects is patchy at best.

As costs increase and the case for the program becomes less strong, so do our concerns. There are many more routes between London and Birmingham than expected The tunnel was put in due to pressure from residents, mostly Tory MPs. The Bat Tunnel in Buckinghamshire becameA symbol of environmental overregulation. And a key part of the route from West London marshalling yard to Euston station has yet to be finalized or funded.

Hence the news that the company building the HS2 high-speed rail line has spent £37m of taxpayers’ money Long after buying property on two routes north of Birmingham Being canceled is further insulting and hurtful to everyone who applauded the vision behind this wasteful white elephant.

a survey independent Research has found that funding continues to be spent on key routes to Manchester after it was scrapped by Chancellor Rishi Sunak two years ago. More money has also been invested in the eastern leg of the route to Leeds, part of which was canceled four years ago.

Meanwhile, the growth of electric vehicles and the prospect of decarbonizing the country’s entire transport network have removed much of the debate that HS2 will help mitigate climate change.

when Mr Sunak cancels northern phase of plan – A news report was broken independentBy the way, the arguments for and against the project have become balanced. However, if anything justifies the decision to call it quits, it is the appalling project management history of the scheme, which has become a dead ringer for a secondary economy of construction companies and a vast consultancy.

Our report today confirms that this “madness” continues. Purchasing land for canceled projects appears to be a classic example of weak financial controls. Needless to say, the government must complete its legally committed purchases, with HS2 claiming that some of the land may be needed for other, less ambitious future rail schemes. But it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that money and time are still being wasted.

Looking at the whole picture, £37 million is a small amount of money Compare that to the billions wasted on HS2But it is emblematic of a project that was mishandled from the start and mired in planning and regulatory laws.

This is not a one-off. British Nuclear power plant construction failed It is a product of the same long-term problems: the inability to make the right strategic decisions and stick to them, and the difficulty of overcoming the barriers of planning law and environmental regulations. The same applies to house building, airport expansion, roads and reservoirs.

It would be easy for us to throw up our hands and declare that Britain can’t build anything anymore. But that would be defeatist, depressing, and untrue. The London Overground network and the Elizabeth Line are two projects that have been delivered and are making the lives of hundreds of thousands of people easier.

Unfortunately, they’re all in and around London – in fact, the part of HS2 that’s about to be completed is the closest to the capital. It is doubly unfortunate that schemes like Leeds Trams outside the South East of England should have fallen victim to the Treasury in the Budget.

The rest of the country desperately needs better infrastructure, but because the productive economy is already concentrated in the southeast, Treasury’s cost-benefit analysis has always favored projects there. This bias must be reversed.

The correct response to HS2 failures is to treat them As a case study in how not to run a railroad. If the economic and environmental reasons are sound, regional inequalities are taken into account, and there is the political will to overcome the sticky web of planning regulations, we can build things in the UK.

Rachel ReevesThe Chancellor said a lot of the right things about making it easier to build. The drama of HS2 reminds us of the importance of delivering on your promises through action.