HS2’s costs have reportedly soared by £1.7billion in the last 12 months - as the coronavirus pandemic added further pressure to the high-speed railway project.
Work was suspended at most sites at the start of the crisis, with social distancing measures causing further delays and reduced productivity.
It sent costs for phase one between London and Birmingham spiralling by up to £800million, sources close to the scheme told the Financial Times.
It follows an £800m increase announced by HS2 Ltd in October 2020, which was partly driven by problems redeveloping Euston Station, the month-long operation to remove activists from a network of tunnels at Euston Square Gardens, and pandemic pressures.
Earlier this month it emerged that the contract for building Birmingham Interchange station is worth up to £370m - some £100m more than an estimate in March 2020.
This excluded money for contingency and options to maximise the site, according to the PA news agency.
A £1.7bn overall increase in costs would be covered by £5.6bn of contingency funds included in the £44.6bn budget for phase one.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “Our focus remains on controlling costs, to ensure this ambitious new railway delivers its wealth of benefits at value for money for the taxpayer.
“The response to Covid-19 remains ongoing and final assessments of its effect have not been made.”
The government-commissioned Oakervee Review warned in 2018 that the final bill for HS2’s entire Y-shaped network could reach £106bn.
Despite it running tens of billions of pounds over its initial budget, and several years behind schedule, Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave HS2 the green light in February 2020.
The high-speed railway was a major issue in last week’s shock by-election defeat for the Tories in Chesham and Amersham.
The high-speed line is being built through the Buckinghamshire constituency.
