improvements & new developments

• Road infrastructure:

  • Capacity on motorways is being increased by upgrading to "smart motorways" with extra lanes (e.g. the M4)
  • Between 2015 and 2020, Highways England created 400 miles of new road capacity (e.g. the new dual carriageway to link the A5 to the M1 near Luton)
• Rail infrastructure:

  • Crossrail has increased central London's rail capacity by 10%
  • Proposed HS2 line linking London to Manchester would increase capacity and halve journey times between the North and South
• Port capacity:

  • London Gateway opened at the mouth of the river Thames in 2013 & is able to handle the world's largest container ships - hoped that it will become a hub for global trade
  • Major ports such as Felixstowe are increasing their capacity
• Airport capacity:

  Government has agreed a new runway is needed in the south east of England - one proposal is for a third runway at Heathrow airport which would allow for an extra 700 planes a day.