Fury as HS2 bosses made staff do 50 days of inclusivity training when they could have been working on the line

WOKE HS2 bosses made staff do 50 days of inclusivity training when they could have been working on the line.

Employees faced a combined 344 hours’ worth in 2½ years on the high-speed train flop.

Meanwhile, its four equality, diversity and inclusion officers were paid a total of £266,000 a year.

The quartet set up training on bias, “conscious inclusion” and avoiding harassment despite spending on the £60billion rail scheme rocketing out of control.

It comes after HS2 Limited, the public-owned firm responsible for delivering the line, circulated an inclusivity guide to builders.

Recently, it spent £10million on a contract to grow line-side grass and opened a £120,000 tender for office stationery.

Tory MP Nigel Mills said: “HS2 Limited is supposed to be a small organisation to oversee the awarding of contracts for the project, not a new empire.

“This idiotic waste has destroyed HS2. If it had been spent on building a train line and not on pointless training and procedures, the project would likely have been in a far stronger position.”

A spokesman for the line — the northern leg of which was axed last month — said its EDI staff “ensure all aspects of our work . . .  is conducted in line with our legal responsibilities”.

PM Rishi Sunak ditched the HS2 extension beyond Birmingham amid fears costs could spiral to £150billion.

The original budget in 2009 was £37.5billion.