Committee publication · Correspondence · 18 May 2026

Letter to the Minister of State for Rail relating to HS2: Euston site visit and roundtable, 27 April 2026

Summary

The Public Accounts Committee writes to the Minister of State for Rail following a 27 April 2026 site visit and roundtable at Euston HS2, thanking officials and raising three substantive concerns: private financing arrangements and cost clarity (circa £6 billion unconfirmed), community engagement amid years of disruption, and systems integration complexity at full-capacity Euston transport hub.

Key findings

Committee remains sceptical of private sector funding targets for Euston redevelopment and government's capacity to negotiate complex contracts without risking taxpayer money.
No final project cost confirmed; £6 billion cited as broad assumption. Previous contract complexity issues noted; shift toward simplified costs and contracts underway.
Local residents and businesses significantly affected by multi-year construction; meaningful engagement with Camden Council and community groups identified as critical to project success.
Euston redevelopment is systems integration challenge, not solely civil engineering. Current underground already at full capacity; fully interconnected transport hub (rail, tube, bus) required.
Stakeholders operating in cooperative environment; all parties accept need for formalisation of roles through Development Corporation governance structure, details pending.

Tone

Procedural

Topics

transport-infrastructurepublic-financeproject-deliverycommunity-engagement

Key actors

Peter (Minister of State for Rail), Ruth Cadbury (Chair of Transport Select Committee), Mark Wild (CEO of HS2 Ltd), Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Minister of State for Rail), Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP (Chair of Public Accounts Committee), University College London, Camden Council

Notable line

“… and were struck by the cooperative and collegiate environment that met us …”

Key Quotes

“We have been sceptical, in our past work on HS2, of the level of funding the private sector is expected to raise and contribute to the redevelopment of Euston station.”
— Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP · private financing concerns

“… there is still a huge amount of detail to finalise before the project is complete. Therefore, all the parties accept there needs to be formalisation of their roles through Governance arrangements.”
— Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP · governance and project structure

“It is essential that this project is delivered safely, while ensuring that as much of the current service levels can be maintained as possible.”
— Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP · systems integration challenges

“The residents and businesses in and around Euston have been significantly affected by construction work for many years and will continue to be affected for many more to come.”
— Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP · community impact

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗