Extending HS2 to central London is “obvious”, the railways minister said as two new tunnel boring machines were unveiled.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill said the long-running project must be placed on a “stable foundation” as he revealed the two new tunnel boring machines (TBMs) which will build the pair of 4.5 mile tunnels from Old Oak Common station to ‘at Euston. station.

In the budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the government would “commit the necessary funding” to begin work on the tunnel, which would begin from 2026.

It came after the previous Conservative government said the extension was dependent on private investment, in a bid to save £6.5bn of taxpayers’ money, and the government’s infrastructure tsar warned that the “real challenge” was to develop Euston station.

Major HS2 construction work at a site next to the existing station has been halted since March 2023 due to doubts over funding.

On Monday, the railway minister said: “The last government abandoned this project with the end of the railway at Old Oak Common, well outside central London, with everyone having to, at least in theory, change to go to central London.

“It is clear that a new high-speed railway across England should come to Euston.

“It’s not surprising that people are concerned about the project. Suddenly, the previous Prime Minister announced that this program would be reduced.”

It will take 18 months for tunnel boring machines to excavate the last 4.5 kilometers of the metro, with the machines operating 24 hours a day.

Over the past six months, two launch chambers have been built to facilitate the 190 meter long tunnel boring machines.

The machines were built by specialists in Germany, dismantled and then reassembled by engineers at the Old Oak Common site.

The 1,250-ton machines are named after prominent women in history.

The first is named Karen in honor of Karen Harrison, the UK’s first female train driver, based at Old Oak Common depot.

The second is Madeleine, named after Madeleine Nobbs, the former president of the Women’s Engineering Society.

Monday also marked the first day of new chief executive Mark Wild, charged with overseeing HS2’s transition from a construction program to a working railway.

Lord Hendy added: “I think we need to get HS2 back on a stable footing, that’s what Mark Wild is going to do.

“He’s going to figure out how long it’s going to take, how much it’s going to cost and when it opens, and I’ll believe it and everyone else should believe it too when he does.”

Huw Edwards, director of station delivery for HS2 Ltd, said: “2025 will be the year of HS2. We have had a series of problems in the past, a loss of political support, the change of government has created a certain level of instability.

“But for me what we see now is a different HS2 organization to a year ago, we have a much leaner organization.”