The HS2 programme has been given an “unachievable” rating by the official infrastructure watchdog. A “red” rating was assigned to the plans for the construction of the first two phases of the troubled rail line, from London to Birmingham and then on to Crewe in Cheshire, by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA).
The red rating, contained in the IPA’s annual report on major projects – which was released last week, states: “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable. “There are major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable.
The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.” Join our WhatsAp p Top Stories and Breaking News group by clicking this link. The phase from Crewe to Manchester was given an "amber" grading by the IPA, under which successful delivery of a project "appears feasible", but "significant issues already exist".
Earlier this month, HS2 Ltd’s chief executive Mark Thurston, 56, announced his resignation amid major delays and cost pressures for the high-speed railway project.
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