Doubts over backing in Parliament for HS2

Alison Munro, of HS2 Ltd, admitted that meeting the target of passing the main Bill paving the way for the project before the next general election would be 'very challenging'.

A delay in passing the Bill beyond the current target date of March 2015 would leave the plans vulnerable to a change of government. It could become a key issue for Conservative MPs on the doorsteps as they campaign for re-election, with anti-HS2 movements in their constituencies certain to demand they oppose the project.

Stafford MP Jeremy Lefroy, Stone MP Bill Cash and Michael Fabricant, for Lichfield, have all spoken out against the scheme, which is set to cut through swathes of Staffordshire countryside. Mr Lefroy and Mr Cash opposed a preliminary Bill introduced in Parliament last month while Mr Fabricant has pledged to vote against the main Bill when it enters Parliament before Christmas.

Asked about the March 2015 target, Ms Munro said: "It is a challenging target.

"It is not totally unrealistic, but I think we all accept it is very challenging."

An HS2 spokesman said: "Ultimately it is the will of Parliament. It is really down to the committee processes."

Cross-party support for the high-speed rail link suffered a heavy blow when Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced that the bill for HS2 could be £10bn higher than previously thought. Senior Labour figures including Lord Mandelson and Alistair Darling joined critics, most of whom had been Tories whose constituencies lie on the proposed route.

Almost 40 MPs rebelled against the preliminary Bill last month, but the rebellion is expected to grow when the main Bill enters Parliament before Christmas.

Ms Munro also revealed that HS2 Ltd was in talks with Birmingham and Manchester airports and landowners in west London about the development of stations along the railway, including in the second city. She expects to secure hundreds of millions of pounds of private sector investment in return for development rights and airport access.

The developments come after the route of HS2 phase one was protected from future development – paving the way for affected residents to sell their homes to the Government.

The 'safeguarding' was revealed by Mr McLoughlin last week and involves the London to Birmingham section of the route which is due to be completed in 2026.