Minister to 'sort out appalling HS2 mess'

A MINISTER has pledged to “sort out” the “appalling mess” of HS2 and confirmed the railway’s opening will be further delayed.

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Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told the Commons there is “no route” to meet the target date of having HS2 services running by 2033.

The project has suffered repeated delays and soaring costs despite being scaled back.

Ms Alexander said: “It's an appalling mess, but it’s one we will sort out.

“We need to set targets which we can confidently deliver, that the public can trust, and that will take time.

“But rest assured, where there are inefficiencies, we will root them out.”

The Cabinet minister said an interim report by Mark Wild, the chief executive of HS2 Ltd, who was appointed late last year, “lays bare the shocking mismanagement of the project under previous governments”.