Recommendation 21

In July 2023 we reported on how the Department’s previous plans for the HS2 station at Euston had proved to be unrealistic and unaffordable.42 Alongside the October 2023 cancellation of HS2 phases 2, the Department acknowledged that previous plans for the station had been unaffordable, and announced that the station design would be stripped back to focus on delivering a station that works and can be open as soon as possible. The Department announced that it “will deliver a new Euston Quarter to provide much-needed homes”, appoint a development company (separate from HS2 Ltd) to manage delivery of the project, leverage private sector investment, and by so doing release £6.5 billion (2023 prices) of previously planned expenditure.43