Steady progress is being made to deliver the aims set out in the government's
ten-year plan for transport, according to a new report. However the government
acknowledges that major challenges still remain.
The report - 'Delivering Better Transport' - sets out what has been achieved since
the Ten-Year Plan came into effect in April 2001. It outlines improvements to
the transport network over the last eighteen months including:
Rail
- Establishment of Network Rail to ensure safe and reliable operation of
infrastructure.
- Reached 90% completion of the first phase of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link
and started work on the second.
- Seen £1 billion worth of new rolling stock already in service.
Strategic Road Network
- Completed 5 major new road schemes.
- Seen work started on the M6 Toll Road and 17 other major road improvement
schemes.
- Started a programme of 100 trunk road improvements to improve safety and
tackle congestion.
Local Transport
- Doubled the funding for local transport authorities - who are now delivering
thousands of smaller schemes through their five year local plans.
- Approved or provisionally approved 116 major new local projects - including
10 light rail lines.
- Seen bus patronage nationally begin to grow after years of decline and
stagnation.
- Seen light rail use grow nationally by over a third in the last two years.
Alistair Darling, Transport Secretary, said:
"The Ten Year Plan set out for the first time a clear direction for improving
transport in this country - backed up by £181bn - an unprecedented level
of investment.
"Eighteen months on, the progress report clearly demonstrates that much has
been achieved. However, we are under no illusions that things are going to get
better overnight. There are no quick fix solutions here.
"After decades of under-investment, the plan provides year on year investment
to deliver the improvements that our transport system so badly needs."
In addition, the report gives a baseline figure for congestion in 2000. This suggests
that there was more congestion in 2000 than was used as the baseline forecast
when the 10 Year Plan was published.
This, coupled with economic growth, means that whilst the Plan will still have
a major impact in slowing the growth of - and then reducing congestion - it will
be even more difficult to reduce congestion to 2000 levels.
The report also outlines how spending on the railways will increase over the next
few years - rising from £2.1bn in 2001/02 to £4.3bn in 2005/06. This
is £312m less for the SRA over the coming three years than was forecast
earlier this year. Spending on rail is double what was spent at the start of the
Plan.
