HS2 bosses say scheme will not 'work properly' unless Crossrail 2 is built

The multi-billion pound HS2 high-speed rail link is dependent on the construction of London’s Crossrail 2 line, a senior figure in the project has warned.

The £56bn HS2 project would see a high-speed line built linking London, Birmingham and Manchester, cutting journey times into the capital.

But a senior boss managing the project has warned that any benefits would be lost unless there were serious improvements at Euston station, which already deals with more than double its supposed 20 million passenger-a-year capacity.

Crossrail 2 plans would see a huge tunnel built beneath the capital linking Euston to key commuter hubs such as Clapham Junction and Victoria station.

HS2 executives have warned that Euston would buckle under the pressure of extra commuters brought in by the national high-speed line.

A source told the Financial Times: “We are dependent on Crossrail 2 for the train line to work properly at Euston.”

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has in the past warned the capital’s transport network would “grind to a halt” unless the £30 billion Crossrail 2 project is built.

In July, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling confirmed he supported the scheme in a major step forward for the project.

Speaking at a London Assembly meeting in June, Val Shawcross , the deputy mayor for Transport, warned HS2 will generate “enormous bottlenecks” at Euston.

But a HS2 spokesman said he was confident Euston could cope with the thousands of extra passengers the line with bring daily to London.

He told the FT: “We are confident that Euston will be able to handle the extra passengers that HS2 services will deliver and we are working with [Transport for London] to plan a major revamp of the existing Underground station.

“HS2 further supports the ongoing improvement to transport capacity and connectivity around the whole country.”