Business group calls for Euston regeneration plan as HS2 tunnelling begins

With tunnelling now underway for the HS2 link between London Euston and Old Oak Common, Business LDN has urged the government to produce a “credible plan” for regenerating the area around the Central London transport hub.

The group welcomed the start of tunnelling as “a significant milestone and a timely reminder of HS2’s potential to unlock growth,” but warned that a concrete plan for Euston must accompany the works.

Ed Richardson, Business LDN’s transport director, said:

“There must be a comprehensive reset of the HS2 programme, including a clear and credible plan for Euston as the London terminus.”

The connection to Euston has long been awaited and, at times, uncertain. In 2023, reports suggested that HS2 would not reach Zone 1 without private-sector investment, before plans were revived under the Labour government the following year.

Current HS2 plans involve two tunnel boring machines (TBMs), each weighing 1,250 tonnes, excavating a 4.5-mile tunnel over the next 18 months. The 190m-long machines, named Karen and Madeleine, will reach depths of up to 50m underground.

Camden Council has repeatedly called for detailed local regeneration proposals in line with its Euston Area Plan framework, seeking the creation of 2,500 new homes and 15,000 jobs around the station.

The start of tunnelling provides a moment of momentum for the long-troubled mega-project, which has faced chronic delays and construction setbacks. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander criticised the project’s “litany of failures” in the Commons last June, pushing the delivery date back to 2033. Since 2012, construction costs have increased by more than £37bn, with total project costs now estimated above £100bn.

Several sections of HS2 have faced cancellation. In 2023, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak cut plans for a Northern leg of the route. Reform Party leader Nigel Farage has called for the entire project to be scrapped, telling MPs:

“Surely the time has come to scrap the entirety of the project and recognise we’ve got it wrong.”