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 then 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, the most recent HS2 annual report has revealed an additional £2 billion ($2.6bn) in costs associated with Sunak's decision to downgrade the project.

Despite the shortened line, the total cost is now estimated at £66 billion ($84bn), three times the original estimate of £33 billion ($41bn), and the completion date has moved from 2026 to sometime in the next decade.

Now discover the huge underground megastructures abandoned to time

Over-budget, delayed megaprojects around the world