18 June 2025
Commenting on the Government’s HS2 update announced today, Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: “The Railway Industry Association welcomes today’s clarification from the Government on HS2. It is now essential that HS2 Ltd’s CEO Mark Wild is given the time and space he and his team needs to carry out a ‘reset’ of the programme to deliver this project, so crucial to increasing UK rail capacity to the benefit of towns, cities, communities and the country’s economic needs for decades to come.
“RIA agrees it is important following the announcement that the lessons of the past are learnt, when it comes to avoiding the temptation to specify dates and costs prematurely on major infrastructure projects. And we support the appointment of Mike Brown CBE as HS2 Ltd's Chair. Mike Brown has been involved at the highest levels with rail related infrastructure in the past, and we wish him well in this new role.”