£6bn road spending promise

 Transport secretary Geoff Hoon reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to spending £6bn on road improvements today.

Hoon said the cash will be spent on providing 520 lane miles of new road through widening projects and opening up the hard-shoulder on congested routes including the M1, M25, M6, M62, M3 and M4.

He also announced the creation of a new company – High Speed 2 – to consider the case for new high speed rail services between London and Scotland  and a new line between London and the West Midlands which could link to Heathrow and Crossrail.

The Government also gave its backing to plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

Hoon said: “Transport is the lifeblood of Britain's economy. In spite of record levels of investment over the last decade, increasing demand means that in many places our transport infrastructure is operating at, or very near, capacity. It is essential we take the right decisions now for the economy.

“We need to do more than just improve Heathrow to ensure that Britain's economy can cope with the transport demands of the 21st century.

"A new rail line between London and the West Midlands approaching London via a Heathrow International interchange would enable faster journeys to the North and Scotland and could link the airport with rail destinations throughout the UK. This would unlock Heathrow for the rest of the country, making it a truly national asset. I expect to receive advice from High Speed 2 by the end of the year on a credible plan for a new line with financing proposals.

"It is clear that many of our major roads also need more capacity and we are committing up to £6bn to improve the national road network - including extending hard shoulder running to some of the busiest parts of M1, M25, M6, M62, M3 and M4, providing much-needed relief from congestion."