New developments in infrastructure
The UK government is investing in The basic structures needed for an area to function, for example roads and communications. developments. These include new road, rail, port and airport facilities. The Department for Transport is the part of the government that oversees all forms of transport within the UK.
Roads
The Highways Agency are responsible for any new major roads in the UK. They are part of the government and they collect money through Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). Smaller roads are managed by local councils and roads in Scotland and Wales are managed by either Transport Scotland or the Welsh Assembly.
The Highways Agency have an ongoing programme of resurfacing roads and building new roads. In December 2021, the government announced that they would be spending 拢15 million on improving and expanding UK roads. This money involves improvements to traffic light systems, using innovative methods such as drones and 3D printers to help to fix potholes.
Rail network
Network Rail is responsible for running, maintaining and developing Britain's railways. The number of rail journeys made is increasing over time. As a result of this, network rail are spending money improving the reliability of services, removing bottlenecks in the system and increasing capacity for more trains to run.
High Speed 1 (HS1) is a fast train link between London and Paris. HS2 is a planned fast train link between London and the north of England (Manchester). The first phase of HS2 is planned to be completed by 2033 and the final phase should be completed by 2040. The estimated cost is between 拢72bn and 拢98bn. It will dramatically cut journey times, for example the current journey time from London to Manchester will be cut by around an hour.
Ports
The importance of UK sea ports has declined over time. Many people now travel by air and the Channel Tunnel has meant that lorries no longer need to drive to a port to travel between the UK and France. Large vessels used to transport goods, usually in large containers. do still arrive into UK ports, but The process of using standardised storage containers on cargo ships, trains and lorries. has meant that fewer workers are needed to load and unload them. Larger ships are now used, which has made less accessible ports redundant.
UK ports are modern and work well, and so the government are not currently planning any major redevelopments.
Airports
The Airports Commission is the part of the government that deals with UK airports. The Airports Commission produced a report in 2015, which recommended that the expansion of UK airports was important for the country's Being successful or thriving, particularly with regard to finance.. This is a controversial issue because many people living close to airports don't like the noise and some lose their homes to make space for runways. Airport expansion can lead to a reduction in house prices in nearby areas.
A new runway has been proposed for Heathrow. The development will generate an estimated 拢61 billion and create up to 77,000 new jobs by 2030. Flights will run to 40 new destinations. The cost of the scheme is estimated to be 拢14 billion. The proposal has largely been backed by business groups. However, some special interest groups are unhappy as there are concerns about the impact on noise and air quality on the surrounding areas, and are considering actions such as a ban on night flights and a guarantee that a fourth runway will not be built.