The project has since faced the chopping block. A third phase, connecting London and the northern city of Leeds, has been scrapped entirely in a bid to keep the price closer to £96 billion ($119bn). The northern section between Birmingham and Manchester was cancelled in October 2023, with then-PM Rishi Sunak claiming the move would save an additional £36 billion ($45bn).

British newspaper The Times reports that as much as £600 million ($736m) has been spent buying land from farmers, businesses, and homeowners on this now-abandoned stretch of rail. Meanwhile, an HS2 report revealed an additional £2 billion ($2.6bn) in costs have been incurred due to Sunak's decision to downgrade the project.

Despite the shortened line, the total cost is now estimated to reach as much as £57 billion ($77bn), well beyond the original estimate of £33 billion ($41bn), and the completion date has moved from 2026 to sometime in the next decade. In June, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the project an "appalling mess" and did not provide an updated delivery date.

Now discover the huge underground megastructures abandoned to time

Over-budget, delayed megaprojects around the world