-We think they have been over-optimistic on time, over-optimistic on the benefits. They haven't got a handle on the real costs of this. And if you really want to spend 50 billion pounds which will all do on infrastructure investment, there are better ways of spending it, sooner getting better benefit to the provincial cities.

 

In 2017, constructions due to start on HS2's first phase, linking London with Birmingham if Parliament approves. The estimated cost has gone up from 16 to 21 billion pounds but MPs in the Public Accounts Committee are worried that the estimated return on that investment has gone down because of an error with how it was calculated.  And they want a fresh analysis carried out before giving the go-ahead to phase two.

 

-The trouble with a lot of these reports is that by the time they surface, they can be out of date.But look, I'm determined that the points that made by the National Audit Office，the points that made by the Major Project Authority are points we address within the department and that we use those points to get it right. 

 

As time moves on, it feels like HS2 is winning more enemies than friends. Former champions have turned skeptical. The institutor director has called it a "grand folly". And the debate has followed the Prime Minster all the way from here in Buckinghamshairo to the G20 in Russia where he has pledged to fight back against the unholy allies opposing it.

 

Seems strange in these austere times to hear the government fighting so hard to spend money. This week expects to make the case for HS2 even stronger.