High Speed 2 (HS2) has another problem to deal with after its executive director, Mark Thurston, announced his departure.
Thurston will leave HS2 Ltd in the autumn when chairman Jon Thompson, who joined the megaproject in 2021, joins as interim chief executive. The resignation comes at the height of construction on the first phase of HS2, with major works at more than 350 sites between London and the West Midlands.
Thurston (pictured) joined HS2 in March 2017, shortly before construction on the high-speed rail began. He has overseen the mobilization of a construction workforce that now includes 28,500 workers and a number of major UK and European contractors.
However, it has also seen the project suffer from serious delays, cost overruns and political pressure. There is much speculation about the future of the project, as well as whether its scope, including the speed and frequency of trains it could accommodate, will be reduced.
In 2021, the government abandoned the eastern section of HS2 and earlier this year postponed the construction of a new Euston station, as well as the section from Birmingham to Crewe.
The first parts of HS2 will now open between 2029 and 2033, with trains not due to enter Euston until at least 2041, originally scheduled for 2026.
Announcing his departure, Thurston said: “Leading this organization has been a highlight of my career and a privilege since day one – the program has come a long way and I want to thank everyone who has worked on the project during my time.
“The next 18-24 months will see the project move into an exciting new stage. I have agreed with the board that someone else should lead the organization and the program through what will be another defining period for HS2.”
The Department for Transport could now struggle to find a replacement for Thurston; the HS2 chair position had been vacant for two years before Thompson was promoted in February as officials struggled to find a suitable candidate despite being approached by more than 150 people to apply for the post.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper paid tribute to Thurston, who he credited with “successfully overseeing the start of construction. [and ensuring] HS2 has created tens of thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the country.”
Harper added: “As HS2 enters its next phase, the government remains committed to unlocking the full benefits of this landmark infrastructure plan: increasing rail capacity, connecting communities and growing the economy.”
In one of his last public outings as head of HS2, Thurston told a group of MPs in April that he did not know the true cost of Euston station, which was given a price of £3 billion in 2019. The station is now being redesigned after the National Audit Office said the true cost would be £4.8 billion, which the government described as “unaffordable”.
The Public Accounts Committee has since said the estimated cost of Euston HS2 station was “completely unrealistic”, adding that the government “still does not know what it is trying to achieve with the station and what kind of of regeneration will support”.
