The release of the Autumn budget has raised many contentious issues, but the people of Euston will be especially interested in one such announcement.
The Chancellor Rachel Reeves reported that tunnelling to Euston for HS2 will recommence after years of uncertainty.
Following the success of High Speed 1 – which opened in 2003 – the Department for Transport under the Labour Government of 2009 proposed High Speed 2.
A review conducted in 2010 by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition proposed a route from London Euston to Birmingham with extensions to Leeds and Manchester.
This would reduce the journey time between London and Birmingham by almost half, as well as increase capacity on over-stretched North-South rail links.
HS2 was considered to be an economy-booster, creating jobs, driving growth, and opening new opportunities for trade between regions.
Goods transported on rail rather than roads would help cut carbon emissions as well.
In addition, HS2 will improve infrastructure, upgrade stations, as well as provide new ones, like Old Oak Common.
However, HS2 has been nothing short of divisive.
The entire project was originally estimated to cost around £56 million, but now it is estimated that just the London-Birmingham stretch will cost as much as £66.5 billion equating to £475 million per mile.
The rise in cost was explained by the Institute for Government to be a result of inflation, initial under-estimation of how quickly and cheaply the line could be built and stations requiring extensive structural work.
The building of HS2 has impacted the countryside, with 108 ancient woodlands threatened with at least partial damage by HS2.
Irreplaceable habitats will be lost, including veteran trees and wetlands.
In 2021, wildlife presenter Chris Packham said HS2 ‘continues the war on nature’.
Accordingly, all plans beyond Birmingham were cancelled between 2021 and 2023 by Conservative Governments.
In 2023, Rishi Sunak said that the £36 billion saved by cutting the northern section of the project would be reinvested in transport across the country.
Since March 2023, the plan to build an HS2 station at Euston has been on hold, as the government sought to find a more ‘affordable design’, hoping to attract private investment.
Since then, Euston has been a permanent building site, despite no building taking place.
Yesterday, Rachel Reeves said that tunnelling to Euston has been funded and the project will restart.
A local business owner speaking to BBC News in the wake of the budget welcomed the news but simultaneously expressed his continued reservations. ‘It’s very disappointing,’ he said.
‘There’s no clarity in terms of what’s happening…, and also we don’t know where it’s going to end – when we expect this area to be nice and new again, how it was before.’
The construction has impacted the footfall in the area and while long-term improvements were promised it feels like there is no end in sight for the area surrounding Euston.
There was talk about the line ending at Old Oak Common, but the Budget has clarified that issue: HS2, one way or another, will end at London Euston.
