Transport secretary Heidi Alexander blames Conservative government for ‘obscene increase in times and costs’ Business live – latest updates The HS2 high-speed railway will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains will not start running between London and Birmingham until as late as 2039, the government has admitted – £70bn more and 13 years later than originally promised. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said that the truncated railway would not be entirely completed until as late as 2043. Continue reading...