HS2 - Worth Every Penny?

As can be seen from our latest blog about the rising cost of HS2, the projection of costs for infrastructure projects of this scale is no exact science. To quote Donald Rumsfeld "there are known unknowns... but there are also unknown unknowns." Projections of passenger growth and need for freight capacity as well as extent of undergrounding and detailed design development are firmly in the first category. By their very nature, the unknown unknowns remain to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that both supporters and opponents of the project are understandably, very interested in scale of public investment required to deliver a high speed rail link. This week, the controversy has been seen among the business community where there is disagreement both over whether project is needed and if so, at what cost.