HS2 to London Euston Station 'set to be given green light'
HS2's Euston leg is reportedly set to be given the green light from the Government - including the station itself - as it takes the company under its 'direct control'. It has been suggested that the announcement will be made at the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves' Autumn Budget on October 30.
As of now, it is understood that HS2 has the money to assemble and install its tunnel boring machines (TBMs) at Old Oak Common ready to tunnel to Central London. It's up to the Government to give the go-ahead for this. This is after the former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, axed the project's northern leg - between Birmingham and Leeds - and decided that private investment would pay for the construction of HS2's terminus in Central London.
Now, a Government source has told The Sunday Times: “HS2 just wouldn't work if the terminus was not at Euston. The station is also well overdue for investment and has become a dystopian mess and a stain on London.” The newspaper added that further support from the Treasury for HS2 is expected.
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It comes after HS2's head of delivery, James Leeming, told MyLondon in July: "It's [the Euston leg] an essential part of the project really, so we're comfortable that we'll get the nod, hopefully, in due course."
This is despite the rail project already being £20 billion over budget. The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has voiced concern about HS2's impact on existing public transport systems in Euston, such as the London Underground, but, ultimately, wants a new station to be delivered.
Polyvios Polyviou, BusinessLDN Programme Director for Transport, has also said that a 'regenerated' Euston could 'contribute £41 billion to economic output in the years to 2053, and enable delivery of 2,500 new homes'.
Huw Edwards, HS2's executive stations delivery director, told MyLondon in January: “The mistake or misapprehension […] was that HS2 has stopped, and that’s not the case. I’ve been building railways in London and the South East for 34 years […] every one of those single railways was opened in increments.
"HS2 is no different. This is the first increment of that overarching railway." Mr Edwards added: "The Government have no intention currently of progressing northwards to Manchester.
"However, they are intending to progress eastwards to Euston, and then connect into the West Coast Mainline at Handsacre [Junction]. Those are all future increments over and above the core opening proposition, which is Birmingham Curzon to Old Oak Common.”
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