Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to conclusion 23 of the Oakervee Review, what recent steps have been taken to reduce the specifications of HS2 Phase One.

The Oakervee Review concluded that the scope of Phase One should be continually reviewed, within the limits of the Phase One Act powers. The Department continues to review its requirements for the railway and considers changes where there is a value-for-money case, within the scope of these powers.

For example, at Euston Station, following a review, the Department has recently confirmed the decision to move to a less complex, more efficient design of the station that continues to support the full HS2 service planned.