HS2 already billions over budget with work ‘just over halfway done’, says rail boss

Total overspend on high-speed rail could be as much as 100%, Mark Wild, who runs the project, told MPs

HS2 construction contracts priced at £19.5bn have already cost £26bn despite being “just over halfway done”, the boss of the high-speed rail project has told MPs.

Civil engineering to build tunnels and cuttings for the 100-mile line should be almost finished but is closer to 60% complete, while only a third of the wider project – including laying tracks and wiring – is done, the transport select committee heard on Wednesday.