Stopping HS2 could be a hazard for Labour as well as the North

Contracts have been signed, commitments made and calling a halt to construction would leave a collection of useless structures across the country, writes Christian Wolmar. It is a costly problem with no easy solution

Work on the new Curzon Street station in Birmingham (Getty Images)

A visit to a couple of the huge HS2 sites scattered along the route between London and Birmingham will debunk any idea that this scheme can be stopped in its tracks. Some £20bn has already been spent or committed and the current rate is around £140m per week, or £7bn per year.

Contracts have been signed, commitments made and calling a halt would leave a disparate collection of structures including a massive viaduct over the Colne Valley and a 10-mile tunnel. These giant structures, mostly completed, can serve no alternative purpose except possibly as the world’s biggest mushroom factory or its most expensive tourist walkway.

There are plenty more embankments, bridges, and tunnels. Indeed, this 140-mile-long first section includes 32 miles of tunnel and nine miles of embankment, most of which have been started, if not already completed.