Original design had proposals for 11 platforms in order to cope with capacity for now abandoned route to Manchester
HS2鈥檚 terminus at Euston will be built with just six platforms, almost half of its original scope.
Rishi Sunak yesterday confirmed that the job 鈥� mothballed since earlier this year 鈥� would be completed, albeit under new management and with fewer platforms.
Documents published by the government later confirmed that it would be a six platform station and suggested the saved space could be used to claw back money through commercial development.
The HS2 station has undergone successive redesigns over the years, which saw it downsized from 11 to 10 platforms.
But these cuts to scope failed to reign in costs on the job, which was paused earlier this year after its estimated price tag rose to 拢4.6bn, from an initial 拢2.6bn budget.
The prime minister鈥檚 speech to the Conservative Party conference yesterday put an end to rumours that Euston would be axed, with the line ending instead at Old Oak Common.
But the West Midlands to Manchester link was scrapped with Sunak saying the 拢36bn cost would be spent on hundreds of local projects instead.
Government documents published yesterday described both London station designs as 鈥済old-plated and over-specified鈥� and promised to 鈥渟trip back鈥� the project so it can be opened as soon as possible.
>> 鈥楾he design team has gone from 500 to six.鈥� What HS2 Euston is doing now
鈥淲e will not provide a tunnel between Euston and Euston Square underground station or design features we do not need,鈥� the documents said.
鈥淚nstead we will deliver a 6-platform station which can accommodate the trains we will run to Birmingham and onwards and which best supports regeneration of the local area.鈥�
They added that its plan would 鈥減roperly unlock the opportunities the new [Euston] station offers鈥� adding that it hopes to hand over the regained space for commercial development.
One source said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 very disingenuous as it doesn鈥檛 mention the team was designing to DfT requirements. Six platforms doesn鈥檛 realise the full potential that he [Sunak] talks about either.鈥�
Alasdair Reisner, chief executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association, said: 鈥淥n a day of poor decisions, the choice to apparently permanently hobble Euston station, blocking any future growth seems barely believable.
鈥淭he prime minister has today not only signed up to worsen capacity on the existing North-west route by pushing HS2 trains onto already packed infrastructure north of Birmingham, but has put to the sword any option for a future government to come in and resolve this issue, permanently preventing HS2 expansion at Euston.
鈥淭his truly beggars belief, and suggests that decisions are being made for political reasons with no understanding of the stark long-term consequences.鈥�
HS2 Ltd will no longer be responsible for the Euston job, with Sunak saying in his speech that 鈥渢here must be some accountability for the mistakes made, for the mismanagement of this project鈥�.
A new development company will be charged with delivering the Euston stretch of the railway and a transformed 鈥楨uston Quarter鈥� around the new station, featuring up to 10,000 homes.
It said this company would 鈥渢ake on the lessons鈥� of projects such as Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which 鈥渟ecured 拢9bn of private sector investment and thousands of homes鈥�.
The government believes this reduction in scope and leveraging of private sector investment will release 拢6.5bn worth of planned expenditure, which it said would be reinvested in transport infrastructure across the country.
Meanwhile, National Infrastructure Commission chairman Sir John Armitt said it was 鈥渄isappointing鈥� the Manchester leg had been scrapped. And he added: 鈥淲hile it is welcome that the money will be redirected into rail and other transport projects for the North and Midlands, it鈥檚 not yet clear how the collection of schemes announced today will address the gap left behind by HS2.
鈥淚t will be for government to show it can turn the schemes into a coherent, long-term rail strategy and deliver it in a cost effective manner, in partnership with local leaders.鈥�
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