HS2’s boss says the Birmingham-to-London rail project needs a full reset, with no confirmed start date. The government is promising changes – but questions remain over delays and delivery.
00:00Right here by Curzon Street Station, the concrete and steel of HS2 stretch across a changing skyline, but the vision behind it seems less certain.
00:11The head of HS2 has admitted the project has lost ground, not just physically but in public confidence.
00:18He says a full reset is now needed and that work could take the rest of the year.
00:22That means more waiting, more spending and still no confirmed date for when trains will actually start running to London.
00:30Behind the hoardings, works carries on. Two things are happening at once, peak production and the start of this reset.
00:38Engineers are pushing ahead on site, even as plans are being reviewed behind the scenes.
00:43A new national body is being created to oversee major infrastructure.
00:47The idea is to speed things up and get better value, not just here, but for roads, railways and housing across the country.
00:56For Birmingham, HS2 has long been more than just a train line.
01:00It's been sold as a symbol of levelling up, a way to bring jobs, investment and long-term regeneration.
01:06But that story depends on getting it finished. And right now, even that seems uncertain.
01:12The message from HS2's leadership is clear, the project can still succeed.
01:18There's praise for the engineering, the workforce and the scale of what's being built.
01:23But optimism only goes so far when timelines are missing and budgets keep growing.
01:29So for now, locals wait with years of disruption already behind them.
01:34Many want something solid in return.
01:35Not just steel and stone, but certainty.
01:39A line that connects more than just cities, but lives and futures as well.
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