The new high-speed route will cut journey times between Birmingham and London by 30 minutes, say officials
Britain’s new high-speed railway project has been shrouded in controversy since work began – from delays to rising costs. While there was originally doubt if HS2 would even up coming to Euston, the Chancellor has since confirmed the route will in fact reach the Central London terminus.
Now, the rail minister Lord Hendy of Richmond has announced when the public can expect the tunnel boring work between Old Oak Common and Euston begin. HS2 will run from Birmingham to Old Oak Common and Euston in London.
The new high-speed route will cut journey times between the two cities by 30 minutes, say officials. The Government committed to funding the tunnelling work needed for HS2 to reach Euston, after the previous government announced the route would have to terminate in Old Oak Common if cash wasn’t brought forward by private investors.
How far along is the HS2 project?
CEO of the HS2 project Mark Wild has said that the Bromford Tunnels in the West Midlands have been finished. This marks the completion of all tunnelling work for the 45-mile stretch between Old Oak Common and Curzon Street Station, in Birmingham.
Dozens of bridges and viaducts have also been worked on, says Mr Wild. Construction is now set to be completed on the new Curzon bridge in the coming months Despite this, in an October 2025 video update Mr Wild said the the project was “not where we planned [it] to be” and admitted that it was behind its targets. The project is now set to get a major reset with the aim of getting “things back into sequence” and stop the constant cost increases.
This overhaul will address three key issues; beginning construction work before the design phase was completed, contracts with supply chain partners which don’t encourage good performance and HS2 Limited not being set up to deliver the whole system.
When will work on the Euston leg begin?
Two 1,250-tonne tunnel boring machines will start digging the stretch from Old Oak Common to Euston “fairly soon,” according the Rail Minister Lord Hendy, in response to a comment from Tory peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough, who said the minister had “a lot on his plate, not least with HS2 and how to plug the gap between Euston and Old Oak Common”.
Lord Hendy said: “The Government is going to fund the tunnelling machines, and they will start fairly soon.”
Work on the final 4.5-mile stretch of tunnel of HS2 is expected to start in 2026. The tunnel boring process will take around 18 months to complete. The twin machines, named Karen and Madeline, will operate 24 hours a day as they dig from Old Oak Common to Euston Station.
How much will HS2 cost to build?
A total of £40.5 billion has been spent on the HS2 programme as of the end of April 2025. The Government forecasts that another £7.2 billion will be spent on the project between 2025 and 2026. HS2 construction was initially estimated to cost £37.5 billion, in 2009 prices.
Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander MP has said that the HS2 project reset will set a new a new “baseline of cost and schedule.” In a report to Parliament she said: “In addition, our progress to date means that evidence based on past experience, rather than forecast estimates, can be utilised to inform current and future delivery of the programme, including ongoing progress on civils delivery and the recent letting of the systems contracts.”
The July 2025 report also said that research estimates that HS2 will deliver £10 billion in economic uplifts for the West Midlands and a further £10 billion around Old Oak Common station in west London over the next 10 years.
Got a story? Please get in touch at [email protected]
Stay updated on the latest travel news for London’s roads with our London Traffic and Travel newsletter. Sign up HERE.
