HS2 chief says project needs a timeline reset

THE boss of high-speed rail company HS2 has admitted that construction has been "harder than thought" and "needs a reset".

- ALEXANDER BROCK

And CEO Mark Wild could not commit to whether the first trains between Birmingham and London will run between 2029 and 2033, as suggested previously.

His comments came as a minister toured HS2 Curzon Street Station in the city centre to discuss how the Government could support the delivery of major projects.

Mr Wild said a “reset of the programme” was needed, which could take the rest of the year.

“This is of a scale never done before. The last mainline terminus we built was in 1899 in Marylebone,” he said. “It’s of an epic scale.

“Truth is, the construction has been harder than we would have thought so we've lost ground.

“So a combination of factors of getting a little bit behind and the complexity to come means we need to reset the programme.