HS2 project's cost rises to £102.7bn, with trains potentially delayed until 2039. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander calls the original design a "massively over-specced folly" and the cost increase "obscene". The project is criticized as a "superfluous railway" and a "vanity project".
The HS2 high-speed rail project in the UK will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains won't run until 2039, admitting a £70bn increase and 13-year delay. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander cited underestimates and inefficient delivery for the cost surge.
The UK government will announce the latest HS2 cost estimate and completion timetable on Tuesday, including plans to reduce train speeds to cut costs. The transport secretary will present the budget in 2026 prices, with hopes it remains below £100bn.
Heidi Alexander says part of answer to strait of Hormuz crisis is importing more fuel from US and west AfricaA refinery in Nigeria accused of dismissing workers for joining a union has emerged as key to the UK government’s hopes of saving the summer holiday amid a jet fuel shortage.Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said at the weekend that part of the answer to the strait of Hormuz crisis was to import more fuel from the US and west Africa. Continue reading...
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has condemned Green Party leader Zack Polanski for retweeting a post alleging police used excessive force during the arrest of the Golders Green attack suspect. Alexander called the action "disgusting" and "absolutely abhorrent," saying Polanski is not "fit to lead a political party." The suspect, Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with attempted murder after two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green, north London. The UK's terror threat level was raised to severe following the attack.
