Cost of UK's HS2 rail project soars to $138 billion, minister says

LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) - ​The ⁠bill for Britain's ​new high speed railway line, HS2, could ​climb ‌to as much 103 ⁠billion pounds ($138 billion), transport minister ⁠Heidi Alexander announced on ​Tuesday, revealing the latest cost overruns to the beleaguered infrastructure project.

Train ​services ‌will not start to run on the new track until between 2036 and ​2039, with the full line ‌linking Euston in central London and Birmingham not due ‌to be operational until between 2040 and 2043, she said.

That compares to ​the original plan from 2011 for ‌part of the line to open in 2026 and cost 32 ⁠billion ⁠pounds. Subsequent plans in ‌2018/2019 had been targeting a 2033 ​state ​date and estimated the ‌cost at 56 billion pounds. ($1 = 0.7456 pounds) (Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Paul Sandle)