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The Story

Exposing a multibillion-pound cover-up at HS2

The Story

The Times

News Analysis, In-depth Journalism, Uk News, Investigative Reporting, News, Audio Storytelling, Current Affairs, Global News, Politics, Daily News, Long-form Audio, Daily News Podcast, Exclusive Interviews

3.91.6K Ratings

🗓️ 23 October 2023

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the cost began to spiral, HS2 bosses allegedly shredded documents, sacked whistleblowers and used misleading projections to keep the scheme alive and the cash coming. We speak to the team behind a new investigation into the beleaguered rail project, and hear one whistleblower’s secret recordings. HS2 Ltd denies any wrongdoing.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: thetimes.co.uk/storiesofourtimes. 

Guests:

- Jonathan Calvert, Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.

- George Arbuthnott, Deputy Insight Editor, The Sunday Times.

Host: Luke Jones.

Read more: HS2: The secret files that expose a multibillion-pound cover-up https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hs2-billion-pound-coverup-cost-files-investigation-skzv2nxwj 

Get in touch: storiesofourtimes@thetimes.co.uk

Clips: Parliament, ITV News, BBC Panorama, Times Radio.

This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe here.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:28.0

Partner of choice. There were such high hopes for HS2. It was going to link London to Birmingham to crew to Manchester, Leeds with the highest of high speeds and levelling up in kick-starting growth as it went.

0:52.0

It's fallen somewhat short of that, of course. At the end of all

0:56.4

of this it might shake down to just a line from London to Birmingham billions

1:01.5

over budget.

1:04.8

We're rubbish at big projects, you might think.

1:07.1

We can't handle these big infrastructure budgets, that's what it is.

1:11.4

But now, a new investigation by the Sunday Times, months in the making, finds

1:16.5

that much of this was foreseen. Years before it went off the rails, people inside HS2, experts tried to alert their bosses and the government to some big problems.

1:30.0

They said figures had been downplayed, deliberately.

1:33.4

Contractors were guaranteed profits, even if they delivered late and over budget.

1:38.9

The whistleblowers were ignored, sacked even, and the report was even put through the shredder.

1:44.0

One of the whistleblowers was so determined to get the truth out

1:51.0

he went to the extraordinary length of secretly

1:53.6

recording conversations with his colleagues, like this.

1:57.0

Stuff's been down played in the past.

2:00.0

Yeah, we're running out of ways of downloading stuff.

2:03.4

There's no point being in guns for lazy and saying this is nonsense because they just say,

...

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