This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Prime Minister David Cameron continues to support the controversial HS2 rail project as he has ordered the new HS2 chief to use his “penetrating eye” to conduct cost savings review for the project.
Sir David Higgins, who earlier served as the former chief executive of the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority, has been assigned the first task in his new job to report on lowering costs and maximising benefits of High-speed rail network that has an estimated cost of £50bn.
Sir David has already started looking for means of reducing costs. His focus is on cutting down the time it takes to build the line, which is currently scheduled to take 15 years – along with reducing the amount of risk it may face. Both might result in producing significant savings. He will report back in March, shortly after taking over as chair of HS2.
Mr. Cameron has claimed Sir David would “make absolutely sure we drive every extra bit of cost out of this that we can, so it comes in under the budget that’s been set”.
Mr. Prime minister has added: “I want to make sure we get every penny of value for money from this HS2 investment.”
“I think it is fantastic that Sir David Higgins – the man who built the Olympics on time and on budget – is going to be running HS2.”
Mr. Cameron will claim in his speech at the annual Confederation of British Industry conference in London, being double-minded over HS2 future will ultimately force Britain to the slow lane.
The scheme needs cross-party approval before implementation but Labour party’s shadow chancellor Ed Balls threw his party’s backing into suspicion earlier this year through raising concerns over escalating costs of the project against earlier estimations.
Mr. Cameron has told: “People who are against it, in my view, are putting our country’s future at risk, they are putting the future of the North of England at risk.”
“We need to have a concerted consensus across business, across politics, that we get behind these large infrastructure projects.”
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