The UK Government is set to announce that the construction of certain sections of HS2 will be delayed in an attempt to cut costs.
Contractors are currently looking at whether or not they need to redeploy staff that are working on the site.
Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of HS2 told the BBC that he and the government were examining the phasing of the build and the timing.
The project is being affected by increasing costs of raw materials as a result of the cost of living.
Conservative MP Simon Clarke, former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, tweeted that delaying construction “would be a sensible decision.
“Having observed HS2’s progress as chief secretary, I have serious doubts as to value for money and cost control,” he said.
The project has faced controversy since the beginning and has been detrimental to the local wildlife along its path.
Already thousands upon thousands of trees have been cut with untold numbers of animals killed or misplaced by the construction.
The Woodland Trust initially warned that HS2 ‘is a grave threat to the UK’s ancient woods’, with many irreplaceable woods lost because of the construction. The Woodland Trust estimates that number being 108, and likely many more.
This week, several veteran trees were felled by HS2 to make way for its rail network, with photos taken by commuters expressing their deep discontent for the destruction of the last remaining natural elements around Euston station.
