The process of resetting HS2 – by far the country’s biggest infrastructure project – is an enormous task. CEO Mark Wild has been clear: we have one chance to get this right. Revised estimates for HS2’s final cost ranges and opening dates will be shared with government soon and we must be confident that we can achieve them.
In his first three months in post, Mark conducted an initial assessment to establish the status of the project – what had been completed, what was left to do, what had been spent and, importantly, why costs and timescales had escalated to such an extent. With this detail in hand, the reset could begin.
Preparing for reset
A specialist taskforce was assembled in spring 2025, based on the successful recovery model Mark introduced as CEO of Crossrail, to bring the Elizabeth line into service.
This taskforce is leading the work to create new estimates for costs and schedule that will take us through to the opening of the railway. We will then carry out thorough checks to make sure the new estimates are accurate before we start using them.
In tandem, work is underway to ensure we have the right people, skills and organisational structure in place to work to the new baseline. Our executive team is strengthened with two new roles that address critical knowledge gaps. Ruth Dunphy has joined as Chief Transformation Officer, and Morag Stuart starts soon as Chief Commercial Officer.
Ruth joined in October to lead the transformational change programme and establish a bold new vision for HS2 Ltd. This centres on addressing critical skills gaps, and building a leaner, performance-driven organisation. Ruth is a qualified accountant with extensive experience in civils infrastructure and construction. She joins the business following a successful career as Transformation Director at BAM.
Morag Stewart joins in the new year, in a role that brings together our procurement and supply chain function. We know that controlling costs is critical, and as part of the reset, we are working towards a new commercial relationship with our contractors that improves efficiency and offers better value for taxpayers and industry.
Morag will lead this vital programme of work, drawing on her experience as Chief Programme Officer at the NHS New Hospital Programme, and in previous roles with the Ministry of Defence, Thames Tideway Tunnel, and the Olympic Delivery Authority.
We have also welcomed six new non-executive directors onto to the HS2 Ltd board, strengthening our leadership and oversight of the project. All six are leaders in their field and will ensure that the board has the right balance of skills and experience to effectively drive the HS2 reset – putting us in the best position to deliver the railway safely, efficiently and for the lowest reasonable cost.
Our number one priority is always safety. Around 34,000 people are helping to build HS2, across 350 work sites, and it’s our responsibility to ensure everyone goes home safely. The orange army need our leadership and support, and we’ve made changes to the way we work to ensure we have better visibility of both progress and challenges on the ground. Opening the railway is a shared goal, we all want to get there as soon as we can, but we must do it safely.
Building trust
HS2 is the government’s biggest investment in transport infrastructure. The railway will integrate with the existing network to boost growth, provide better journeys and improve connectivity for the next century and beyond. The reset is fundamental to achieving this.
As an arms-length-body, our relationship with the government is critical to the project’s success. Mutual trust, transparency and shared goals are at the heart of the reset, and we must demonstrate that the funding we receive is managed responsibly.
To achieve this, findings from industry experts and wider government reviews are embedded into the mechanics of the reset. This ensures that lessons learned are deployed, mistakes of the past aren't repeated, and subsequent stages of the project, through to the opening of the railway, are delivered as planned.
The James Stewart Review, commissioned in 2024 to review the governance and assurance of major transport projects, is a critical driver. In total, 89 recommendations were made, over half of which relate directly to the reset, and we are working with the Department for Transport to implement them all by the end of the reset period.
One chance to get it right
Legitimate questions can be asked as to why this reset will endure when previous estimates of HS2’s cost and opening schedule have been so wide of the mark. We are confident in the approach for several reasons.
Five years of construction knowledge gives a solid platform to estimate the cost and schedule of the outstanding work still required. Some of the most complex structures along the 140-mile route are now complete – including the longest the tunnel and the longest bridge. The focus now is on getting the construction programme back into sequence, and the civils engineering works completed, ready for rail systems works to start.
The focus on boosting productivity throughout 2025 is also paying dividends. We set six construction milestones for our joint venture construction partners this year, and all six were completed on time. As a result, we are ending the year in a strong position, with all twin-bore tunnelling on the opening section of the railway, between Old Oak Common and Birmingham Curzon Street - totalling 46 miles - now complete.
As Mark has made clear, the cost and schedule ranges that will be published next year will be final, and once published, they must be met. The methodology that is being applied to develop the ranges is proven, as it is driven by the Crossrail recovery model. The same methodology and expertise that transformed one of Europe's most troubled infrastructure projects into an operational railway has been refined specifically for HS2's requirements.
The rigorous approach to developing the ranges includes multiple proven assessment methods, from statistical risk analysis, scenario planning used on Crossrail, comparative forecasting with similar infrastructure projects, and independent expert verification. We are working closely with the DfT throughout all stages of the reset to ensure transparency.
Our new approach, using proven methodology, is designed to break the cycle of cost overruns and schedule delays. Britain’s high-speed railway will get back on track.
