Three serviceable office blocks are being torn down at London’s Euston railroad terminus to make way for the new high-speed line HS2. Phase One of the $74-billion program has secured necessary approvals, lined up its main civil contractors and already consumed more than $6 billion of government investment. But even before construction starts, the sponsor is already struggling to keep within budget.

Asked by a recent parliamentary committee what Phase One from London to Birmingham would cost, Terry Morgan, the former chair of the sponsor HS2 Ltd. (HSL) answered “nobody knows yet.” Design/build teams are searching for economies to bring target costs within the $35.5-billion budget, including rolling stock, before construction can start of the 230-km line.

HS2计划在2033年计划与曼彻斯特和利兹（Leeds）连接，伯明翰，东米德兰兹，谢菲尔德和克鲁（Crewe）将HS2建造。伦敦和西米德兰兹郡之间的第一阶段将于今年的建设日期为2026年。它包括超过8公里的切割工作和约40公里的双孔隧道，内径为7.55-8.8 m。

When HS2L named preferred bidders for some $8.7 billion of Phase One civil work in July 2017, the contractors were expected to complete necessary design and preparatory work to firm up target prices and sign design/build contracts by the end of last year.

然而,在此之前,贝科HS2L承认use of “cost pressures” another 12 months was needed achieve the $32-billion budget for fixed infrastructure, land acquisition and real estate compensation, says an official.

Among the biggest contract winners was a team of London-based Balfour Beatty Group Ltd., with units of Vinci Group, Paris. They won two contracts totaling $3.3 billion for the line’s northern third. Other continental European winners, in joint venture with local firms, included Austria-based Strabag A.G., and the French groups Bouygues and Eiffage.

Cutting costs by reducing the line’s operating specification is not an option, according to Clive Maxwell, the Dept. for Transport’s (DfT) head of high speed and major railroad projects. HS2L’s chief executive Mark Thurston had previously identified to lawmakers that reducing train speeds and their frequency, and the use of ballast instead of concrete slab rail supports, were hypothetical cost saving measures.

DFT HS2下一阶段的下一阶段2A的说明，该线的计划每小时计划的每小时18次过渡的频率是每小时每小时一列火车的容量，每2.5分钟降低了25％的安全保证金。他补充说，将速度从360公里降低到200公里，将使成本降低9％左右，同时削减30％的经济利益。新利18备用官网登录

To alter significantly the line’s specification would undermine HS2’s essential business case to justify the huge investment. The program’s first business case was completed in 2013 and finally updated in 2017, according to Bisson. A further update must be made this year before Phase One work can begin.

摩根仍然拥有“ Crossrail的所有伤痕”，赞扬用于与HS2承包商节省成本的综合方法。He was forced to resign从12月担任伦敦耗资200亿美元的Crossrail项目公司，当时计划和成本超支的规模变得明确（Enr 12/17/2018p。8）。新利18备用同时，他在工作五个月后辞去了HS2L主席。

On HS2, the “whole approach to looking at all seven major civil contracts… is based on coming up with a model that has greater collaboration and standardization,” added Morgan. “That was part of the learning from Crossrail. It might sound obvious to say standardization, but when you are placing a contract with one company, it wants to do (the work) its way.”

保守政府前高级部长戴维·戴维斯（David Davis）表示，HS2的最高成本不确定性加剧了对像英国HS2这样的小国家这样昂贵的高速制度的持续批评。他声称，分配给该计划的钱将支付两次用“零钱”替换英国所有滚动股票的费用。

However, the government is putting forth enabling legislation for the $4.6-billion phase 2a up to Crewe, and plans start the permitting process for the rest of the program to the north, valued at $33.8 billion, in June 2020. The promoter regards HS2 as essential infrastructure, which, according to the minister for railroads, Andrew Jones, is already supporting 7,000 jobs even before the main construction starts.