The government has given the green light for construction to begin on the first phase of HS2, including high-profile viaducts designed by Moxon and Grimshaw.

The Department for Transport announced today that HS2 Ltd can issue “notices to proceed” to the four main civils works contractors on the route between London and Birmingham.

Andrew Adonis, the former transport secretary and National Infrastructure Commission chair, said there was now no way back for the high-speed link because of the value of the contracts that had been signed.

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