Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 36
36
Accepted
Euston tunneling confirmed, but completion date for HS2 services remains unknown.
Conclusion
In the 2024 Autumn Budget, the government confirmed that HS2 would terminate at Euston, announcing that it would fund the work to tunnel from Old Oak Common in west London to Euston.61 The previous Public Accounts 57 Qq 78–80 58 Q 47 59 Ibid 60 Qq 45–46 61 HM Treasury, Autumn Budget 2024, 30 October 2024. 20 Committee recommended that a decision on tunnelling was needed urgently to avoid incurring much greater costs from stopping and restarting work.62 The Department was unable to tell us, however, when the station will be completed and in operation.63 In the interim however, when it expects HS2 services to begin operating sometime between 2029 and 2033, trains will terminate at Old Oak Common.64
Government Response Summary
The government agrees with the committee's observation and commits to providing an update on progress at Euston in its next six-monthly report to Parliament in Summer 2025, and is also responding to a specific letter about the Euston tunnelling schedule.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
6.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Summer 2025 6.2 The department’s next six-monthly update to Parliament is expected to be published in Summer 2025 and will include an update on progress on Euston. 6.3 The department is also responding to the Committee’s letter of 6 March 2025 requesting an update on the HS2 Euston tunnelling schedule.