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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

EXPLAINED: Hs2 already billions over budget with work just over halfway done says rail boss | Rare Historical Photos

Mark Wild and Lord Hendy in hard hats and hi-vis jackets in front of heavy machinery bearing the HS2 logo
Mark Wild, chief executive of HS2 Ltd (left) and Lord Hendy, the rail minister, on site in London in December. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA

HS2 construction contracts priced at £19.5bn have already cost £26bn despite being “just over halfway done”, the boss of the high-speed rail project has told MPs.

Civil engineering to build tunnels and cuttings for the 100-mile line should be almost finished but is closer to 60% complete, while only a third of the wider project – including laying tracks and wiring – is done, the transport select committee heard on Wednesday.

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