Fact Check: "91 million spent on HS2 bat structure so far, with costs still rising!"
What We Know
The claim that "91 million spent on HS2 bat structure so far" refers to the costs associated with the Sheephouse Wood bat mitigation structure, part of the HS2 project in Buckinghamshire, UK. According to a letter from the Department for Transport (DfT), the incurred and committed costs to date for the entire section of the railway, which includes the bat structure, amount to approximately £91 million (around $117 million) as of June 2025 (source-2).
The total projected cost for the bat mitigation structure itself is estimated to be around £95 million in 2019 prices, which translates to approximately £122 million in current prices (source-4). The overall cost for the section of the railway that includes the bat structure is projected to be £168 million (around $216 million) in today’s prices (source-2).
Analysis
The claim that £91 million has been spent on the bat structure is partially true, as it refers to the total incurred and committed costs for the entire section of the railway that includes the bat structure, not just the bat structure itself. The DfT has clarified that isolating costs specifically for the bat structure is challenging due to the nature of construction contracts, where costs for materials and services are often shared across multiple activities (source-2).
Furthermore, while the figure of £91 million is accurate for the total costs incurred to date, the specific costs attributed to the bat structure alone are reported to be around £95 million, which is expected to rise as the project progresses (source-4). The overall costs for the section of the railway, which includes the bat structure, are projected to be significantly higher, indicating that while the £91 million figure is accurate, it does not represent the total expenditure on the bat structure alone.
The sources used in this analysis are credible, with the DfT being a primary government source and HS2 Ltd being the organization responsible for the construction of the high-speed rail project. However, the complexity of the financial breakdowns and the potential for misinterpretation in media reports necessitate careful consideration of how these figures are presented (source-2, source-4).
Conclusion
The verdict on the claim is Partially True. While it is accurate that £91 million has been spent on the HS2 project section that includes the bat structure, this figure does not solely reflect the costs associated with the bat structure itself. The bat structure's costs are estimated at around £95 million, indicating that the claim lacks clarity regarding the specifics of what the £91 million encompasses.
