Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-04-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to grow national road, rail and air infrastructure, and to invest in public sector capacity, to match the forecast growth in population to 73 million by 2035.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government’s transport investment strategy is summarised in the Department for Transport’s Single Departmental Plan, which aligns major upcoming infrastructure projects and policy decisions with the four key strategic objectives of economic growth; building a One Nation Britain; improving journeys; and creating a safe, secure, and sustainable transport network.
The current Roads Investment Strategy (RIS) provides details of the Strategic Road schemes in which the Government will be investing a total of £15.2 billion over the Parliament. It also outlines long-term aspirations for a smoother, smarter, and more sustainable road network by 2040. A number of strategic studies are currently underway to inform the second Roads Investment Strategy, which will cover the period 2020-2025.
The Government invests in the rail network as a means of meeting forecast demand, reducing operational costs, and stimulating wider economic growth. It does this by targeting the four key investment areas of electrification, port-to-city freight connections, intercity connectivity, and commuter travel. High Speed Two overlays this programme of investment and targets many of the same objectives. Details of specific projects can be found in the High Level Output Specification (HLOS), published in July 2012 and in Sir Peter Hendy’s report on the replanning of Network Rail’s Investment Programme.
Alongside a decision on additional runway capacity, the Government is also revising its Aviation Policy Framework, which will include work to consider infrastructure.
