The report said that while the DfT has “significantly increased its high speed rail team”, it “has identified that it has a shortage of major projects expertise”.
The DfT should “set out how and by when it will secure the right level of resources and mix of expertise to enable it to oversee a programme of this magnitude,” the report added.
The committee also said that the DfT has “not yet presented a convincing case for the now £42.6bn investment” and has based its decisions so far on “fragile numbers, out-of-date data and assumptions which do not reflect real life”.
The report questioned whether the new rail line will enhance growth in regions outside of London, and described the time scale the department is working towards as “unrealistic and overly ambitious”.
PAC chair Margaret Hodge said: “Not allowing enough time for preparation undermines projects from the start.” Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said that the case for HS2 is “absolutely clear” and without it “the key rail routes connecting London, the Midlands and the North will be overwhelmed”.
McLoughlin continued: “The project will free up vital space on our railways for passengers and freight, generate hundreds of thousands of jobs, and deliver better connections between our towns and cities.”
“This government is investing record amounts across our transport network – trebling spending on major road schemes and funding the biggest upgrade to our railway in modern times. HS2 is a vital part of our plan to give Britain the transport infrastructure it needs to compete.”