Boris Johnson expected to approve full route today
The government is poised to give approval for the full HS2 line to be built.
An announcement on the rail project linking London to Birmingham and Manchester and Leeds is expected by the prime minister today, according to the BBC.
According to earlier leaks, the review led by Douglas Oakervee has found that just building one phase of the project would not be value for money and that there are no “shovel-ready” alternatives.
But while the whole line will be built, the government will commission another review of the sections of the project that will run between Crewe and Manchester and the West Midlands and Leeds.
Reports said the government is hoping to find ways to cut cost as well as integrate these sections of the route into the existing network. Oakervee’s report has said costs could be as high as £106bn.
The line was originally supposed to have cost £43bn but jumped to £56bn and now stands at £88bn.
It is also understood that Boris Johnson will announce a series of other transport projects, some of which will be in the north of England and the Midlands.
This is part of the government’s promise to “level up” the UK by investing more in infrastructure outside of London.
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