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divdiv class=story-body readability=32 span class=story-date#13; span class=date27 October 2013/span#13;span class=time-textLast updated at /spanspan class=time08:25 ET/span#13; #13;/span#13;#13; #13;#13;#13; #13; #13; #13; #13; p class=introduction id=story_continues_1Treasury minister Danny Alexander has said he is very confident the HS2 high-speed rail project will be delivered within its £42.6bn budget./p#13; pHe told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show the government was using the same techniques to ensure efficiency as for the 2012 London Olympics./p#13; pSupporters say the plan to link London to Manchester and Leeds will reduce journey times and boost growth./p#13; pBut Labour's deputy leader Harriet Harman said costs had to be monitored./p#13; pThe aim is to get trains running as fast as 250mph (400km/h) between London and Birmingham from 2026, with branches to Manchester and Leeds via Sheffield planned for 2033./p#13; pThe estimated cost of the project has risen from £34.2bn to £42.6bn - plus £7.5bn for rolling stock./p#13; span class=cross-head'Working hard'/span#13; pMr Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, insisted this would not change, saying: The real cost is the budget that we set out in June this year: £42.6bn. It hasn't changed at all./p#13; pThat number includes within it a significant amount of contingency./p#13; pI'm very confident that, as we work through the project and deliver it, we will not just deliver it within that budget but, like the Olympic Stadium project, under budget too./p#13; pThat is something I'm working very, very hard to make sure happens. We are applying the same techniques we used to deliver the Olympic Park to the HS2 project./p#13; #13; pMr Alexander added: We have set that budget and we will stick to it./p#13; pFor Labour, shadow chancellor Ed Balls is reported to have compared HS2 to the Millennium Dome, saying: I think you should learn from your mistakes./p#13; pBut Ms Harman played down the comments, saying Mr Balls had been asked about the Dome by a Mail on Sunday journalist and had not volunteered the comparison./p#13; pShe told the Andrew Marr Show: We absolutely support better north-south lines. We are in favour of rail infrastructure for commuters and also for long-distance travellers and freight but not at any cost./p#13; pAnd what Ed Balls is saying is we have to keep a strong eye on the costs as well as on the benefits./p#13; pIt's no good the government simply complaining about people who are raising these issues. They should be addressing these issues, controlling costs and being properly analytical about the benefits that are available./p#13; pBob Crow, general secretary of transport union RMT, said the political posturing over HS2 was a smokescreen designed to delay investment in the railways./p#13; #13; /div/divbrbrcentera href=http://www.wizardrss.comPowered By WizardRSS.com/a | a href=http://www.wizardrss.comFull Text RSS Feed/a | a href=http://www.amazon.com/RFID-Blocking-Cards-Identity-Protector/dp/B00CJHZLEWRFID/a | a href=http://www.wpzonbuilder.comAmazon Affiliate/a/center