Is HS2 falling apart in Birmingham? Here's what is really happening now after 5 years of work
HS2 has been reshaped, delayed, and rebranded. But in Birmingham, disruption remains and delivery is slow. Richard Gullick reports on the current status of the project and what happens next.
HS2 was sold as the future of British transport - a high-speed rail line to connect London, Birmingham, and the North. But five years into construction, Birmingham has little to show for it beyond dust, diversions, and growing frustration.
Only a third of Phase One - the London to Birmingham stretch - is complete.
While some civil works like tunnels and bridges are around 60% finished, not a single mile of track has been laid. No rail systems have been installed. Testing is years away. And the latest admission from government officials confirmed what many had long suspected: the original 2033 opening date is no longer realistic.
The new projection? Sometime in the mid-2030s. That’s if nothing else slips.
Watch the video: Richard Gullick reports
The most significant milestone so far is the partial breakthrough of the Bromford Tunnel in Birmingham.
One tunnel boring machine made it through. The other is still digging. But experts point out that tunnelling is only the beginning. Turning a hollowed-out tunnel into a functioning railway is a whole separate challenge—one that hasn't yet begun.
At Curzon Street, Birmingham’s flagship HS2 station, foundations are in place, but no structure has risen. The fit-out phase isn’t expected to begin until late 2025, and no firm date has been set for when trains will actually arrive.
Meanwhile, residents are bearing the brunt of the disruption. Summer work on the Cross City Line caused temporary closures. Roads are blocked, transport is patchy, and patience is wearing thin.
A leadership shake-up is underway in an attempt to regain control. Mark Wild, a former Crossrail chief, now leads HS2 Ltd. Mike Brown, a seasoned transport executive, chairs the board.
They’re promising tighter oversight, stricter cost controls, and better project sequencing. But trust is shaky—especially with an HMRC investigation into fraud allegations further clouding the project’s credibility.
HS2 continues to roll out polished PR images of futuristic train interiors and state-of-the-art stations.
But on the ground in Birmingham, the reality is far less glamorous: incomplete works, long delays, and a city still waiting to see the benefits of a project that was supposed to transform it.
For now, HS2 is not a railway. It’s a worksite—one with an uncertain end date and a shrinking public faith in the promise it once held.