Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee
Delivering HS2 and Euston
Status: Open
Opened: 18 May 2026
Inquiry scope
In December 2024, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced a fundamental reset of the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway, following the 2023 cancellation of Phase 2 of the line from the West Midlands to Manchester, as well as a smaller HS2 station in London Euston. Estimated ranges of how much it would cost to complete Phase 1 varied widely at the time of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) last report on HS2, with the DfT’s estimated range in November 2023 of £45bn-£54bn comparing with HS2 Ltd’s June 2024 estimate of £54bn-£66bn. Reported estimates of the final cost of the programme now range over £100bn. 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 PAC’s February 2025 report found that HS2 had become a casebook example of how not to run a major project, sharply criticising as unacceptable the fact that over a decade into the programme it was still unknown what it would cost, what the final scope would be, when it would be finally completed or what benefits it would deliver. Its February 2024 report on HS2 and Euston warned that the DfT did not then have any plan for how to attract private finance to pay for the station. In 2026, the Committee will take evidence from senior government officials and HS2 Ltd. as it scrutinises the delivery of HS2 and Euston. Likely topics will include the funding, costs and timeline of both Euston and the wider project, as well as the community impacts and benefits of each. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it using the link below by 23:59 on Monday 9 June 2025. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. Please note that the Committee’s inquiry cannot assist with individual cases. If you need help with an individual problem you are having, you may wish to read the information on Parliament’s website about who you can contact with different issues .Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 2026 | Dean Creamer CBE · Building Digital UK, Jo Shanmugalingam CB · Department for Transport, Mark Wild OBE · HS2 Ltd | View ↗ |
Written evidence
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| Reference | Date | Submitter |
|---|---|---|
| DHS0015 | 3 Sep 2026 | Dr Caroline Mawer |
| DHS0014 | 3 Sep 2026 | Transport for London |
| DHS0013 | 3 Sep 2026 | Mr William Barter |
| DHS0012 | 3 Sep 2026 | Mr Mike RAWSON, Ex Metropolitan Police Service |
| DHS0011 | 3 Sep 2026 | Dr Tariq Umar, University of the West of England, UK |
| DHS0010 | 3 Sep 2026 | Thomas Ableman, FreeWheeling |
| DHS0009 | 3 Sep 2026 | Iain Flynn |
| DHS0003 | 3 Sep 2026 | Hleb Buziuk, FairGo CIC |
| DHS0002 | 3 Sep 2026 | Mr Chris Gibb |
| DHS0001 | 3 Sep 2026 | Vsevolod Shabad, University of Liverpool |
| DHS0007 | 3 Sep 2026 | Anonymous |
| DHS0020 | 3 Sep 2026 | Mr Jeffrey Travers |
| DHS0019 | 3 Sep 2026 | Dr Malcolm Reed |
| DHS0018 | 3 Sep 2026 | BusinessLDN |
| DHS0017 | 3 Sep 2026 | The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport(UK) |
| DHS0016 | 3 Sep 2026 | Greater London Authority |
Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Dean Creamer CBE · Chief Executive | Building Digital UK | 1 |
| Jo Shanmugalingam CB · Permanent Secretary | Department for Transport | 1 |
| Mark Wild OBE · Chief Executive Officer | HS2 Ltd | 1 |
Correspondence
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