Government considering £5bn infrastructure spending boost

[RYS]

Hi all. Don't think there's a thread on this already. It's being reported here that government has discussed today plans to increase infrastructure spending by £5bn and that rail will be included. What real implications (if any) do we think this will actually have for the rail industry? Is £5bn a lot of money in the grand scheme of things? Could it mean the timescale of projects like HS2 or GWML electrification being brought forward? Given the government presumably wants this money to bring unemployment down, which projects should they direct funding to?

 

[Rational Plan]

If they want quick boost to the economy then it won't be aimed at big projects. The less capital intensive the better. So road repair, broadband push into rural areas. Any small scheme that can be started quickly. They would want results to show.

 

[swt_passenger]

So stuff where the planning is already complete and able to be dusted off and used quickly, to gain positive headlines in the near future, rather than three or four years time.

Unfortunately I've probably just described all those cancelled road schemes... :roll:

 

[WatcherZero]

£5bn is a lot for rail projects in one go (though of course most of this probably wont be rail), but in the flow of time when you look at annual spends it becomes quite small.

 

[asylumxl]

Considering only a small proportion of this money will go to rail schemes, it really does seem an insignificant amount when compared to the savings that could be made cancelling/cutting back vanity projects like HS2, which I feel will probably never go beyond Birmingham.

 

[WatcherZero]

Savings on something thats only spending £100m between 2010 and 2018?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Redoubling Haughley Junction.....bit of an issue here.

 

[asylumxl]

Savings on something thats only spending £100m between 2010 and 2018?

But with an estimated at 34 or so billion.

 

[cle]

They'll need things which can begin immediately - and for PR purposes, probably well spread throughout the country.

So quick, small things whcih can start and finish soon:
Todmorden seems obvious.
GOBLIN wiring maybe.
Re-announcing (they like that) Swindon - Kemble
Halton would be good, but might be a little trickier than Tod.
Bringing forward some Northern Hub bits.
Definitely something in Wales where the Tories are doing really well.
Maybe God forbid, something in the South West....

 

[blue sabre]

They'll need things which can begin immediately - and for PR purposes, probably well spread throughout the country.

So quick, small things whcih can start and finish soon:
Todmorden seems obvious.
GOBLIN wiring maybe.
Re-announcing (they like that) Swindon - Kemble
Halton would be good, but might be a little trickier than Tod.
Bringing forward some Northern Hub bits.
Definitely something in Wales where the Tories are doing really well.
Maybe God forbid, something in the South West....

Duelling the A1 from Scotland to Northumberland should be high in any agenda for infrastructure improvements.