An extra £1bn will be spent on major road and rail networks across England next year in an attempt to boost the ailing economy.
The budget includes a £700m fiscal stimulus announced in the pre-budget report, to cut road congestion and increase capacity on rail networks as well as a an extra £300m of new funding to speed up the delivery of key links to UK airports and ports.
UK Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said that the department was committed to tackling the problems of congestion and crowding, as well as reducing transport-related greenhouse gas emissions.
"Congestion, whether it is on our roads or railways, is not just a nuisance to travellers, it is also a tax on the productivity of our businesses, and if left unchecked could become a brake on growth," he said.
"That is why I am accelerating plans to better use Britain's motorways and why I am also earmarking a further £300m to remove bottlenecks and increase capacity on road links to key airports and ports."
The £700m announced in the pre-budget report will deliver three key transport initiatives that include:
- The early delivery of 200 new carriages for rail passengers in the Thames Valley, in Bristol and on inter-urban services in Northern England.
- The Acceleration motorway improvement, including the introduction of hard-shoulder running on 500 roads.
- Bringing forward the new link between the A1 and M1 to 2011 from 2016, subject to the outcome of statutory processes and funding confirmation.
The £300m that has been earmarked to improve access routes to international gateways will be used for:
- A new £165m road link between Manchester Airport and the A6 to the east.
- Enhancing the North London rail line to increase the long-term freight capacity of the cross-London rail route. This includes restoring four tracks from Dalston Junction to west of Camden Road, alleviating current bottlenecks, and improving signalling and other infrastructure.
- Up to £60m of investment in new traffic measures to improve safety, reduce delays and tackle congestion along 54 miles of the A12 – the main road link and a key freight route from London through Essex and Suffolk to the Felixstowe and Harwich Ports.
- Up to £30m of investment to improve access on the A160/A180 to Immingham Port the UK's largest freight port.
By Daniel Garrun.
