The government is to launch a review of HS2, with a decision on whether the project will go ahead or not due by the end of 2019, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has confirmed. Phase 1 of the high-speed railway network between London and Birmingham is due to open at the end of 2026, with Phase 2, connecting to Leeds and Manchester, scheduled for completion by 2032-33. Initially it was claimed that trains would travel at 250mph, although this figure has been reduced. The ...