HS2 will NOT be extended to Euston unless enough private investment is secured, it is understood. The PA news agency said it understands Rishi Sunak's commitment to extend the high-speed railway to the central London station is contingent on a substantial proportion of the cost being met by private funds.
If enough money isn't found, HS2 will permanently stop at Old Oak Common in the capital's western suburbs. Extending HS2 to Euston involves digging a 4.5-mile tunnel from Old Oak Common and building a six-platform station next to the existing West Coast Main Line terminus.
At his speech to the Conservative Party conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said: "We will complete the line from Birmingham to Euston." He added that the government's new plan for the central London station will generate '£6.5bn of savings'. READ MORE: Their promises have been broken...
we've been let down once again READ MORE: Rishi Sunak's denials over HS2 to Manchester 'exposed by his own video' A No 10 source said the figure was a combination of re-planning the project after considering 'what is no longer required' and a developer contribution model such as the one used in Battersea, south-west London.
Read more on manchestereveningnews.co.uk