Mark Thurston, HS2‘s Chief Executive, has stepped down from the role after six-and-a-half years at the helm.

HS2 Ltd announced the news yesterday, with Mark leaving the role in September.

Sir Jon Thompson will become Executive Chair in September for an interim period whilst a new Chief Executive is recruited.

Mark Harper said “I want to thank him for his work over the last 6 years on progressing Britain’s most transformative rail project. He successfully oversaw the start of construction and drove the project to full scale with HS2 supporting tens of thousands of jobs, including apprenticeships, across the country. The government and I are grateful for his service.”