The government has set out plans for £88.4 billion of spending on transport infrastructure projects over the next five years as part of a total pipeline of £483 billion set out in its new National Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2016-21.
The transport projects cover road, rail, airports and ports. But the biggest share of the total spend is energy at £117.4 bn. Social infrastructure, water and waste, and housing also account for substantial proportions of the total spend.
The government is investing £15 billion to support Highways England in transforming the strategic road network with over 100 schemes completed or in construction by the end of 2020-21, including the A14, A1, A303 and rolling out further smart motorways.
Rail spending includes getting High Speed 2 into construction, completing Crossrail, giving the green light to Crossrail 2, and for High Speed 3 between Leeds and Manchester, investing in new rolling stock and delivering Network Rail’s revised programme of £38 billion expenditure.
The plan has been welcomed by the Freight Transport Association. Karen Dee, director of policy, said: “The Government is right to put so much emphasis on infrastructure – these networks are crucial to delivering economic growth. Transport improvements represent a large proportion of the projects, which is vital for a trading nation that relies on the movement of goods and services.”
