HS2: UK Ponders Slower Trains for Cost Savings

0:00On March 23rd, UK ministers are pushing high-speed too to look at running trains, slower to tame the project's ballooning costs and get service started. Sooner, the idea is to cap speeds at 186 mph instead of the plan 224, which could save billions of pounds, and launch operations earlier in the 2030s. Most UK fast trains top out at 125 mph, and those on the high-speed one line to Kent and the Channel Tunnel hit 1, 186, matching Europe's usual max. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander told Parliament the challenges are even bigger than first thought after the new Chief Executive's review. Mark Wilde, who started leading HS2 late last year, found past plans way underestimated the remaining work. Alexander has asked him for a report before summer break on how much slower speeds might save. Having no UK track handles, those top speeds, yet which, delays testing?

1:01On the bright side, construction is hitting targets, like finishing all 23 miles of deep tunnels for the first phase. Total spending so far stands at 46.2 billion pounds, including 2.6 billion on the now-scrapped northern leg from Birmingham, to Manchester. Eye-opening entity, also andates, and having an over 119. Wilde says they're regaining control with 30,000 workers pushing forward, and speed was never the main goal anyway. This shift aims to deliver more capacity, better journeys, and economic boost without the extra expense.