The Lib Dems are juggling both investment and environmental strategies to ensure that transport in the UK can enjoy the best of both with "10-year rolling capital investment plans" that offer a clear promise of continuous investment in our transport infrastructure. In their Autumn conference last year, the Lib Dems emphasised that a "zero-carbon Britain by 2050" is a priority for them, setting a clear call to innovation within the transport industry at the heart of their campaign. Like the Labour party, the Lib Dems are calling for the "devolution of greater powers over bus and train services" to bring back control of those services, in which case "essential and long-overdue structural upgrades to the railway" in the form of high-speed railway projects HS2 and HS3, connecting Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, and Hull, would then be prioritised. For those living in the Midlands, this will be a refreshing take on transport, especially after so much emphasis has been placed on London over the past few years.
In their 2015 manifesto, the Conservative party pledged to "invest in infrastructure" and roll out "more and faster trains, more roads and cycle routes". However, many of the promises
have, to date, gone unfulfilled. Instead, the Tories have been focusing on specific projects such as London's Crossrail, which is expected to give 1.5 million people in and around London better access to the
city centre in just 45 minutes. Developments such as London's Crossrail as well as other projects across the South-East receive almost six times more funding that the rest of the UK, giving London a boost while leaving business hubs such as Manchester and Birmingham behind the curve.
The new Mayor for the West Midlands, Andy Street, stated that work will continue on the £56 billion HS2 high-speed line linking London and Birmingham – the first phase of the project is expected to cost £56bn and is due to open in December 2026.
Political Party Policies on Rail and Infrastructure
All you need to know before the election this June
The initial mention of transport spending comes as part of a general commitment to infrastructure spending, with £250 billion promised over 10 years. This is followed by the perhaps predictable announcement that a Labour government would seek to re-nationalise the railways, in order to prioritise quality of service over the ability to generate profit. They also state for continued investment in the ‘HS2’ high-speed rail link linking London to cities in the North, and that they would also support investment in projects such as Crossrail 2 and Crossrail of the North. Stating their intent to ensure that ‘every area gets its fair share of transport investment’, it’s clear that Labour has big spending plans for the nation’s railways.
Adpated from www.greatbritishpoliticas.co.uk
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