PRESS RELEASE

Transport Action Network (TAN) has warned that the government is set to repeat the mistakes of HS2 with the Lower Thames Crossing ‘smart’ motorway (LTC). This comes as Sir Stephen Lovegrove’s report on HS2 is published today and highlights the dangers of starting work prematurely on such projects without a full understanding of costs and benefits.

The chair of the Transport Committee, Ruth Cadbury, talking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday said the problem with HS2 was “not just the speed, but also that spades were in the ground before the project had been fully designed, permits granted and so on”. 

TAN warns the government has already committed over £3 billion of public funds and started construction works without a final business case in place or any private investment secured. 

TAN wrote to the National Audit Office in March 2026, warning of the financial irregularities of the LTC and the dangers of starting publicly funded construction works without a full business case in place to guarantee the project still remains good value for money. 

Mile for mile, the LTC is likely to be more expensive than HS2. The latest LTC current cost estimate is at least £11 billion for 14.3 miles of ‘smart’ motorway and tunnel [4]. 

Chris Todd, TAN’s Director, said:

“The government is rushing ahead with the Lower Thames Crossing ‘smart’ motorway for misguided political reasons. It has no idea whether it represents good value for money, as it is yet to produce a full business case. Yet it is already spending public money starting construction.”

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Notes to editors:

[1] TAN was set up in 2019 by director, Chris Todd, to help communities press for better (more sustainable) transport. It supports more investment in bus and rail services and active travel. To enable this and better road maintenance (fewer potholes) it opposes damaging road building. It also supports better integration between transport and planning.

[2] Sir Stephen Lovegrove’s report will be published shortly 

[3] TAN wrote a letter to the NAO on 11 March 2026 outlining the risks and concerns about using public funds to start work on a project which has no private funds secured, or a completed business case to demonstrate it still makes economic sense. 

[4] The LTC is currently projected to cost around £769m per mile (£11bn for 14.3 miles). In Parliament today Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed the latest HS2 cost estimates were between £87.7bn and £102.7bn (2025 prices). This makes the 140 mile long HS2 cost £734m per mile. The cost range is also included in the HS2 Accounting Officer Assessment, published today.