Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has confirmed that HS2 will run all the way to Euston.
The announcement came during his speech at the Conservative Party Conference today (October 4).
In recent months there were growing fears that the high-speed line would terminate at Old Oak Common in west London, rather than at Euston as originally planned, due to the project’s spiralling costs.
But the Prime Minster has now said that the government “will complete the line from Birmingham to Euston” given how far along construction is.
Rishi Sunak also confirmed rumours that the rest of the line – between Birmingham and Manchester – would no longer go ahead.
He said: “I am cancelling the rest of the HS2 project and in its place, we will reinvest every single penny, £36 billion in hundreds of new transport projects in the north and the midlands, across the country.”
Earlier this year Camden Council leader Georgia Gould criticised the “unacceptable uncertainty” as to whether Euston would be the terminus for HS2.
She said that it would raise fears among residents that “they will have to endure years of disruption for absolutely no benefit”.
Cllr Gould added that the project “must not walk away and abandon” residents after leaving “a deep scar” in the community, including knocking down 200 homes.
She also called on the scheme to deliver on its promises to provide “new homes, green spaces and opportunities” for Camden residents.
Rishi Sunak confirmed today that a new development zone for Euston was still planned.
He said: “The management of HS2 will no longer be responsible for the Euston site.
“There must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project.
“We will instead create a new Euston development zone building thousands of new homes for the next generation of homeowners, new business opportunities and a station that delivers the capacity we need.
“And in doing so, for the first time in the lifecycle of this project, we will have cut costs.
“The £6.5 billion of savings that [Transport Secretary] Mark [Harper] and I are making will be taken from the Euston site and given to the rest of the country.”
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