Mark Reynolds says not running railway into middle of capital makes no sense

Mace chief executive Mark Reynolds has repeated claims that leaving the HS2 site at Euston as a hole in the ground will continue to 鈥渟car鈥� London.

He told 好色先生TV in the summer the decision to mothball the job was 鈥渁bsolutely shameful鈥�, adding that leaving the site as it was would be a 鈥渃omplete scar on the London landscape鈥�.

In an interview with the BBC this morning, he said the decision to mothball the job 鈥渃ame from nowhere. One minute the prime minister and chancellor are standing up and telling everyone the railway is going to Euston and three weeks later, they鈥檙e saying it鈥檚 being paused for two years.鈥�

mark reynolds

Mark Reynolds said the unfinished site at Euston will be a blight on London

Around 200 staff are left on the project, a number that will fall further in the coming weeks once major site facilities for the planned thousands of workers is completed. Reynolds said the site 鈥渞emains a significant scar on London鈥�.

Options to save money on the station, estimated to cost 拢4.8bn from an initial budget of 拢2bn, include making it seven platforms and adding three more platforms as later legs come on stream.

>>>See also: 鈥楾he design team has gone from 500 to six.鈥� What HS2 Euston is doing now

The job has seen more than 1,000 people leave it since transport secretary Mark Harper鈥檚 decision to mothball the job in March with the design team being cut from 500 to just six. At peak, the site will have a workforce of between 2,500 and 3,000 people on it which was supposed to have been in 2025 and 2026.

As Euston main contractor, Mace and Spanish joint venture partner Dragados had around 360 staff on the project before Harper hit the pause button.

hs2

The site will be derelict until at least April 2025

Reynolds added that running the line to and from Old Oak Common made no sense. 鈥淪topping a significant rail network at Old Oak Common that will then take longer to get into London than it would from Old Oak Common to Birmingham is not the best option for everyone to be honest.鈥�

He said the flip flopping over HS2 was also damaging the UK鈥檚 standing internationally. 鈥淚t is damaging investment into the UK, we know that international finance is reluctant to invest in the UK.鈥�

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