The chief executive of the HS2 high-speed rail project has resigned amid cost and political pressure over the delayed project.
Mark Thurston, 56, announced he will step down in September after six-and-a-half years, making him the state-owned company’s longest-serving chief executive.
Another leader is needed for the project, Thurston said, as HS2 moved into a “defining period” with the installation of railway tracks and signaling equipment.
Thurston was paid £617,300 in the 2021-22 financial year, according to HS2 Ltd’s latest annual report. He also received benefits worth £5,400, it shows.
Multiple delays have hit HS2. It was originally expected to open in 2026, which was pushed back from 2029 to 2033 due to construction difficulties and rising costs.
Major building works are currently taking place at over 350 sites as part of the first phase of the construction project, between London and Birmingham.
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HS2 explained: What is it and why are parts delayed?
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee last week pressed ministers over the project, saying delays in work at Euston station showed ministers they don’t know what they’re “trying to get”.
Mr Thurston said on Wednesday: “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”.
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HS2 delays will cost at least £266m.
He was preceded by Simon Kirby, who held the role from 2014 to 2017, and Alison Munro, who held the reins from 2009 to 2014.
With Mr Thurston leaving at the end of September, HS2 Ltd chairman Sir Jon Thompson will become executive chairman on an interim basis while a new chief executive is recruited.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper praised Mr Thurston.
“In addition to successfully overseeing the start of construction, [Mr Thurston] has ensured that HS2 has created tens of thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the country,” Harper said.
The development of HS2 is a key part of the Government’s ‘level’ agenda, with the aim of improving connectivity between the cities of the Midlands, the North and London.
It had been planned to run north-east from Birmingham to the East Midlands Hub at Toton, where trains would continue on the HS2 line to Leeds, with others diverging on existing lines via Chesterfield and York.
But that eastern extension was scrapped i the Crewe-North West section it’s two years late.
