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HS2
Under construction. First trains, Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street: between May 2036 and October 2039 (Department for Transport, 19 May 2026; checked 13 October 2026).
Britain's new high-speed railway, being built from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon Street and to the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre, near Lichfield. It opens in two stages: Old Oak Common to Birmingham first, then Euston and the link north to Handsacre. The lines beyond Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds were cancelled.
about 140 miles (225 km)Route
4New stations
199 mph (320 km/h)Top speed
23 milesBored tunnel, Old Oak Common to Birmingham, all dug
2036–39First trains expected
Facts
- Status
- Under construction. About a third of the whole job is done; the civil engineering (tunnels, bridges, earthworks) is about two-thirds done and due to finish by the end of the decade. Track, power and signalling follow.
- Opening
- Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street between May 2036 and October 2039; Euston and Handsacre Junction (the full scheme) between May 2040 and December 2043 (Department for Transport, 19 May 2026; checked 13 October 2026). HS2 Ltd’s own ambition, which isn’t a promise: late 2037.
- Route
- London Euston, Old Oak Common, Birmingham Interchange, then one branch to Birmingham Curzon Street and one to the West Coast Main Line at Handsacre Junction, near Lichfield.
- Depots
- Washwood Heath, Birmingham (the trains and the control centre); Calvert, Buckinghamshire (maintenance).
- Top speed
- 199 mph (320 km/h), cut in May 2026 from 224 mph (360 km/h); Old Oak Common to Curzon Street in about 45 minutes, three more than at the old top speed.
- Signalling
- In-cab signalling (ETCS, version 2.1); automatic train operation was dropped in May 2026. Ten trains an hour planned, with room for sixteen.
- Operator
- Not yet decided: the government is considering how HS2 will fit Great British Railways.
- Cost
- £87.7 to £102.7 billion (2025 prices); £44.2 billion spent by the end of March 2026.
unverified Some of these figures haven’t yet been checked against an official source or a published history. What’s in doubt ↓
Route 4 stations
The strip is schematic: the order is from the Act’s plans and the labelled lengths are figures, the spacing isn’t. The bar beneath it is to scale, from the 2016 plans. The lines beyond Handsacre and Birmingham were cancelled and aren’t drawn here.
Tunnels and the viaduct
| Structure | Length | State |
|---|---|---|
| Euston tunnel (Old Oak Common to Euston) | 4.5 miles (7.2 km) | Being bored since January 2026 |
| Northolt tunnels (Old Oak Common to West Ruislip) | 8.5 miles (13.6 km) | Dug (June 2025) |
| Colne Valley Viaduct | 2.1 miles (3.38 km) | Built (2025) |
| Chiltern tunnel | 9.9 miles (16 km) | Dug (2024) |
| Wendover green tunnel | 0.9 miles (1.4 km) | Shell finished (October 2026) |
| Long Itchington Wood tunnel | 1 miles (1.6 km) | Dug (2023) |
| Bromford tunnel (on the Birmingham spur) | 3.6 miles (5.8 km) | Dug (October 2025) |
Stations 4
| Station | HS2 platforms | Opens | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Euston | 6 | May 2040 to December 2043 | Beside the existing station. Six platforms, which the Department for Transport says support all foreseeable services now that HS2 ends at Birmingham and Handsacre; earlier plans, for a railway reaching Manchester and Leeds, had more. |
| Old Oak Common | 6 (of 14) | May 2036 to October 2039 | West London. Six high-speed platforms below ground and eight on the surface for the Great Western Main Line, Heathrow Express and the Elizabeth line. The surface platforms may open before HS2; no date is agreed. |
| Birmingham Interchange | 4 | May 2036 to October 2039 | Near the NEC and Birmingham Airport, which a people mover will link, with Birmingham International station. |
| Birmingham Curzon Street | 7 | May 2036 to October 2039 | City centre, beside Moor Street. The Grade I listed entrance building of the 1838 station is kept. |
Trains
Class 895 on order
- Ordered
- 54 ordered, December 2021; the contract is under review
- Builder
- Hitachi Rail and Alstom (a joint venture): Derby, Crewe and Newton Aycliffe
- Top speed
- Built for 224 mph (360 km/h); to run at up to 199 mph (320 km/h)
- Expected
- with HS2's first services, May 2036 to October 2039
The 54 trains were ordered to run on beyond Birmingham to Manchester, Liverpool and Scotland. With the lines north of Birmingham cancelled they must use existing tracks, and Manchester Piccadilly's platforms can't take a pair coupled at 1,312 ft (400 m), so the order is being renegotiated: fewer, longer trains is one option. The Department for Transport says nothing has changed yet (April 2026).
Class 895, one train around 656 ft (200 m; Department for Transport, 2021); not drawn yet
Class 895, two coupled 1,312 ft (400 m), the length HS2's platforms are built for
Class 390 Pendolino about 870 ft (265 m) as drawn
Class 374 (Eurostar e320) about 1,309 ft (399 m) as drawn
One scale, 2 px a metre. Not drawn yet: the cars, doors and front haven't been published, so only its length is shown. HS2, the line →
When it opens
- Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street: between May 2036 and October 2039 (Department for Transport, 19 May 2026; checked 13 October 2026).
- Euston and Handsacre Junction (the full scheme): between May 2040 and December 2043 (Department for Transport, 19 May 2026; checked 13 October 2026).
- HS2 Ltd’s ambition for Old Oak Common to Birmingham Curzon Street: late 2037. An ambition, not a promise (HS2 Ltd (its chief executive's target, which the government supports), 19 May 2026; checked 13 October 2026).
The date has moved before: December 2026 in the 2010 plan, 2029 to 2033 from 2021 until June 2025.
What was cancelled
HS2 was planned as a Y: on from Birmingham to Crewe and Manchester, and to the East Midlands and Leeds. Every part beyond Birmingham and Handsacre has been cancelled. That is why HS2 ends at a junction at Handsacre, why Euston needs only six platforms, and why the trains’ length is being renegotiated.
| Leg | Route | Length | Planned stations | How far it got | Cancelled | Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 2a | Fradley (near Lichfield) to the West Coast Main Line near Crewe | 36 miles (58 km) | None new; trains to call at Crewe | Act passed (Royal Assent 11 February 2021); early works begun | 4 October 2023 | Its purchase powers expired on 11 February 2026; the government keeps the land it bought |
| Phase 2b, western leg | Crewe to Manchester | 39.1 miles (63 km) (85 km with the Golborne link) | Manchester Airport; Manchester Piccadilly (new high-speed platforms) | Bill introduced 24 January 2022 | 4 October 2023 | The bill was reused in May 2024 for part of Northern Powerhouse Rail, Millington to Manchester Piccadilly; its route stays safeguarded |
| Golborne link | From the western leg near Knutsford to the West Coast Main Line near Wigan | 13 miles (21 km) | None | In the 2022 bill | 6 June 2022 (taken out of the bill) | Room left for a future link |
| Phase 2b, eastern leg | Phase 1 near Coleshill to Leeds, with a link at Clay Cross for Chesterfield and Sheffield | 123 miles (198 km) | East Midlands Hub (Toton); Leeds (city centre) | Route chosen 2016 to 2017; never a bill | The East Midlands to Leeds on 18 November 2021 (the Integrated Rail Plan); Birmingham to East Midlands Parkway on 4 October 2023 | Safeguarding lifted in July 2025; the land is being sold, starting with 558 properties |
The government keeps the land between the West Midlands and Crewe and says it intends, in the long term, a new line between Birmingham and Manchester, which will not be a revival of HS2.
History 8
- Royal Assent: the High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands) Act.
- Main construction begins.
- The government orders 54 trains from Hitachi and Alstom, for about £2 billion; first passengers then expected between 2029 and 2033.
- The lines beyond Birmingham to Manchester and the East Midlands are cancelled.
- The Transport Secretary tells Parliament that HS2 cannot open by 2033.
- The Colne Valley Viaduct, Britain's longest railway bridge, is finished.
- Tunnelling from Old Oak Common to Euston begins, the last major tunnel.
- The reset: first trains between May 2036 and October 2039, Euston by 2043; top speed cut; cost £87.7 to £102.7 billion.
Sources
How we source figures → · Spotted a mistake? Tell us → (opens in a new tab)
Show the 30 sources from HS2 Ltd, Wikipedia, Department for Transport and 8 more
- HS2 6-monthly report to Parliament: May 2026 (written statement) Department for Transport, 19 May 2026opening windows, the ambition, cost, four stations, Euston's six platforms, the Northolt tunnels, the depot contract, the cancelled phases' land and powers
- HS2 reset (oral statement to Parliament) Department for Transport, 19 May 2026the reset, as told to Parliament
- Change of HS2 railway specification and scope (HS2 Ltd's chief executive to the Transport Secretary) HS2 Ltd (published by the Department for Transport), 18 May 2026top speed, signalling, automatic train operation dropped, trains an hour
- How we're building the railway HS2 Ltd, updated 12 August 2026progress, the opening windows, the test area, journey time
- Construction (building the railway) HS2 Ltd, updated 19 August 2026about 140 miles, structures, depots
- HS2 in Parliament HS2 Ltd, read 12 October 2026Royal Assent, 23 February 2017
- Government awards HS2 rolling stock contract Department for Transport, 9 December 2021the train order and the 2029 to 2033 window
- High Speed Rail (London - West Midlands): Consolidated Plans and Sections as amended in the House of Commons Select Committee (Sections, volumes 4, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1 and 6.2) Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd, February 2016the route's order and the to-scale bar (chainages)
- DfTO director concerned about length of £2bn HS2 trains New Civil Engineer, 21 April 2026the train contract under review
- Transport secretary admits HS2 opening delayed beyond 2033 amid 'litany of failures' New Civil Engineer, 18 June 2025June 2025: no opening by 2033
- Sunak announces scrapping of HS2 leg to Manchester The Engineer, 4 October 2023the October 2023 cancellation
- HS2 Phase 2a: guide to the Environmental Statement HS2 Ltd, 2017Phase 2a's length
- High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Act 2021 Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026the Phase 2a Act's Royal Assent
- Change log, Phase 2b information papers HS2 Ltd, 21 July 2023the western leg's length without the Golborne link
- Preferred route of HS2 Phase 2b revealed Rail Magazine, 15 November 2016the eastern leg's route and stations (2016)
- Government announces £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands Railstaff, 18 November 2021the Integrated Rail Plan, November 2021
- Golborne link dropped from HS2 bill International Railway Journal, June 2022the Golborne link dropped
- HS2 Phase 2b formally scrapped in favour of Liverpool - Manchester railway Railway Gazette International, May 2024the western leg's bill reused for Northern Powerhouse Rail
- High Speed 2 Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026tunnel lengths, the 2010 date, construction start
- Euston Tunnel Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026the Euston tunnel
- Old Oak Common railway station Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026Old Oak Common's platforms
- Birmingham Interchange railway station Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026Birmingham Interchange's platforms and people mover
- Birmingham Curzon Street railway station Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026Curzon Street's platforms and the 1838 building
- Colne Valley Viaduct Wikipedia, read 12 October 2026the Colne Valley Viaduct
- HS2's Wendover tunnel is ready to start disappearing beneath the countryside IanVisits, 7 October 2026the Wendover green tunnel
- Old Oak Common station (the station will have 14 platforms, six for high-speed services and eight for conventional services) HS2 Ltd, read 19 October 2026Old Oak Common's 14 platforms: six high-speed and eight conventional
- Birmingham Interchange station (two 415-metre-long island platforms, four platform faces) HS2 Ltd, read 19 October 2026Birmingham Interchange's two island platforms, four platform faces
- HS2 in Birmingham (Curzon Street: 'It will open with seven high-speed platforms') HS2 Ltd, read 19 October 2026Curzon Street's seven high-speed platforms
- Twin-bore tunnels (Euston 4.5 miles / 7.2 km, Northolt 8.4 miles / 13.5 km, Chiltern 10 miles / 16 km, Long Itchington Wood 1 mile / 1.6 km, Bromford 3.5 miles / 5.8 km) HS2 Ltd, read 19 October 2026the Euston, Chiltern, Long Itchington Wood and Bromford tunnels' lengths
- Tunnels (twin-bore list: Euston tunnel 4.5 miles / 7.3 km, Northolt tunnel 8.4 miles / 13.6 km) HS2 Ltd, read 19 October 2026the Euston and Northolt tunnels' lengths (7.3 km, 13.6 km)
unverified
- The route's length in kilometres (225 km): worked out from HS2 Ltd's 'about 140 miles'
- The to-scale bar: read by eye from the 2016 Parliamentary plans, each Work added end to end, three of the joins assumed; the Chiltern (14.9 km) and Bromford (2.9 km) tunnels are shorter there than today's 16 km and 5.8 km
- The cancelled phases: the Golborne link's removal, the western leg's bill reused for Northern Powerhouse Rail and the October 2023 cancellation are from trade press reporting government statements; the 2016 to 2017 route decisions from HS2 Ltd's factsheets as summarised in search results
- The eastern leg's length (198 km, 123 miles): HS2 Ltd's 2017 factsheet as quoted in search results, not read
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