Thursday, 6 December 2012

Of roads, railways and airports

The Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement included provision for £270 million to alleviate traffic hot spots and congestion bottlenecks on locally and nationally agreed priority schemes.  Will any of this be spent on improving the A21 between Tonbridge and Pembury?

The Autumn Statement also included a commitment to extend the proposed HS2 line  to the North West and West Yorkshire.  However, it begs the question, when will the money be spent?  Delicious sense of timing with the courts currently hearing cases seeking judicial review of the proposals for the HS2 line between London and Birmingham.

See:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/road-and-rail-transport/9731680/Passenger-numbers-blow-apart-case-for-HS2-train-line.html

The future airport capacity of  London and the South-East has been kicked into the long grass, at least until after the next general election.  Hence the comments of Willie Walsh

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/9722527/Politicians-afraid-of-airport-expansion-claims-Willie-Walsh.html

Meanwhile Kent County Council is pressing the claims of Manston Airport:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-20606478

More rail news:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20557061

http://www.itv.com/news/london/update/2012-12-09/east-london-line-extension-complete

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-20626854?








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