Fewer than 10 per cent of the British public believe the government can get the HS2 project finished on budget.

Public confidence in the £33.1billion high-speed rail line being completed on time is also low, a survey found.

But more than half of those questioned said they were in favour of the line being built, with less than 20 per cent against.

The questions were asked last month by market research firm Consumer Intelligence.

Its survey revealed that just eight per cent of the 1,599 people contacted believe HS2 will be complete within its proposed budget. Only 11 per cent believe it will be finished on schedule.

Last month, the government said the project was still firmly on track after it won all but one of the procedural points brought against it in the judicial reviews.

Ministers now aim to have a hybrid bill before Parliament in 2015, to allow the work to start.

Consumer Intelligence’s findings indicate public confidence in the chances of these targets being met is lacking. Of those questioned, 71 per cent believe HS2 will not come in on budget, and 69 per cent said it would miss its schedule.

Despite the lack of confidence in how the project will be managed, the findings reveal an overall sense of approval for HS2. Fifty two per cent of respondents said they were in favour of it, compared with 18 per cent against and 30 per cent who are uncertain.

The issue of value for money was a close-run thing. When asked whether the budgeted £33.1bn is a worthwhile use of public money, 42 per cent of people said ‘no’ and 40 per cent ‘yes’.

David Black of Consumer Intelligence said: “While the HS2 project enjoys support from 52 per cent of the public, there is very little confidence that it will be finished on time or on budget.

“Given that the main reason for the project is to enable faster journeys, it is alarming that far more of those intending to use it will primarily decide to do so based on ticket price rather than speed.

“There is some work to do in convincing the public that this is the best use of government spending, with 91 per cent of consumers believing the budget would boost the economy more if it was spent on alternative transport or communication projects.”