- Decent, reliable transport connections are vital, not just to boost growth and bring our regions together, but to rejuvenate some of the towns that often feel left behind in this country.
- From modernising our roads and railways, to improving the everyday services that people rely on to get to work, visit friends and access local services, we are taking the action needed to help communities across the country to prosper.
- We will ensure no part of this country is left behind, and no business is held back, because of poor transport, levelling up opportunities and renewing the ties that bind our communities together.
Getting our country back on the road to a brighter future by:
- Launching a £3.6 billion Towns Fund which will help improve local transport links. The funding will support an initial 100 towns by improving both transport and digital infrastructure.
- Launching a £2.5 billion Transforming Cities Fund to improve transport links and make it easier for people to visit family and friends and get to work. The fund supports investment in public transport to boost connectivity and reduce congestion.
- Embarking on the biggest rail modernisation programme since Victorian times to deliver better, quicker journeys for passengers. We will spend £48 billion delivering major projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail, rolling out new trains and upgrading and electrifying hundreds of miles of track.
- Spending £29 billion on improving England’s roads – the biggest ever single cash injection. We will spend £25.3 billion of the National Roads Fund on strategic roads and £3.5 billion on local roads.
- Transforming and improving bus services to help people move not just between towns and cities, but within them. We have launched a £220 million National Bus Strategy, will create new low-fare, high frequency ‘superbus’ networks and investing an additional £30 million to improve existing routes and restore lost services.
- Reducing harmful emissions from our transport system. There are now more electric vehicle charging points in the UK than there are petrol stations and we continue to invest – mostly recently with a further £400 million to fund more rapid charge points.
Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour would put our progress at risk:
- Labour wants to renationalise our railways, meaning less investment and poorer services for passengers. Since privatisation, investment in our railways has substantially increased and the number of journeys taken has doubled in 20 years. In 2017-18, private companies invested £1.3 billion in our rail network, the highest figure since records began.
- Labour oppose funding to improve roads and would make it harder to people to get around. They described our decision to launch the biggest ever cash injection for roads as ‘the wrong decision’.
Q: Will you proceed with HS2?
The Prime Minister has launched a short review into whether and how HS2 will proceed. We know there are a number of concerns about the cost and timing of the project so the review will provide independent recommendations on these areas. While it is ongoing, the review will not interrupt the build timetable, but we have taken steps to protect ancient woodland while it takes place.
