HS2 boss goes with no successor in place

Civil engineer Mark Thurston, 56, is leaving HS2 Ltd, an organisation he has led since March 2017, in September.

HS2 chairman Sir Jon Thompson, a government accountant by background, will become executive chairman in day-to-day charge of the project for however long it takes to find a replacement.

The wording of the announcement clearly implied that Thurston’s departure was the board's decision. “I have agreed with the board that someone else should lead the organisation and programme through what will be another defining period for HS2,” he said.

“Leading this organisation has been the highlight of my career and a privilege from the first day - the programme has come such a long way and I want to thank everyone who has worked on the project during my time, he said.

Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “I’d like to thank Mark Thurston for his work over the last six years progressing Britain’s most transformative rail project. As well as successfully overseeing the start of construction, he has ensured HS2 has created tens of thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the country.  As HS2 enters its next phase, the government remains committed to unlocking all the benefits of this flagship infrastructure scheme – increasing rail capacity, connecting communities and growing the economy."

Construction of the first phase of HS2 is now at its height, with major works taking place at over 350 sites between London and the West Midlands.

Along the route, six tunnelling machines have been launched, works on the longest railway bridge in the UK, the Colne Valley Viaduct, are under way and the Marston Box rail bridge has been slid into place over the M42 motorway.

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