China offers to build Britain's HS2 in 5 years and save money

02:22

The China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has offered to build the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project in five years and at a significantly lower cost than projected.

In a letter first reported by Building Magazine, CRCC told HS2's chief executive Mark Thurston that the Chinese company could complete construction of the high-speed railway between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds by the middle of this decade - against the currently scheduled opening in 2040 - and at 'a cost significantly lower than the projections we have seen'.

The UK's Department for Transport (DfT) says that 'no commitments have been made' and the offer was made by the Chinese company during 'preliminary discussions'.

The extreme efficiency of the China Railway Construction Corporation is beyond doubt, as the company can take credit for building most of the 15,500 miles (25,000 km) high-speed rail network in China in the last ten years. But British officials doubt that the Chinese corporation would be able to work at the same speed in the UK as it does in China, because it will have to deal with property rights, protected landscapes, and different rules and safety standards.

CRCC also recognised in its letter that the idea of the Chinese state-owned railway company taking over construction of the British high-speed railway could raise concerns over national security.

Prime minister Boris Johnson gave the go-ahead to the construction of the HS2 and said he hopes it will be running by the end of the decade, against the current prediction that aims to fully complete the project by 2040. Credit: Eddie Keogh / AFP

The Chinese offer comes right after Boris Johnson's cabinet gave the green light to the construction of the HS2 high-speed train line on Tuesday. Construction works are now expected to start within weeks.

The HS2 go-ahead was quite a 'controversial and difficult decision' according to Johnson, who harshly criticized the way the HS2 company has managed the project, complaining about the spiralling of the project's forecast costs.

Boris Johnson has already upset quite a few among his party and U.S. President Donald Trump when last month he announced that Chinese tech giant Huawei would be given permission to supply equipment for Britain's 5G telecoms network, raising concern over Chinese investments and influence in the UK.