Further Information: Department of Environment and Transport

Relevant Press Notices: SR2000/DETR1


18 July 2000

SR2000/DETR2


NEW PUBLIC INVESTMENT SETS TRANSPORT PLAN LAUNCHPAD

A doubling of public capital investment in transport will provide the launchpad for a ten year strategy that will deliver a transport system of which we can be proud.

The Spending Review 2000 settlement announced today by Chancellor Gordon Brown sees transport capital investment rise from £2,332 million for 2000-01 to £6,176 million for 2003-04 with total spending rising from £5 billion in 2000-01 to over £9 billion in 2003-4 (an average annual increase of 20 per cent in real terms over the three years to 2004).

Welcoming the announcement, Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, said:

"This is excellent news. Better transport is a key element of a prosperous economy and is essential to help improve the competitiveness of British business.

"The spending plans announced today will help end decades of under-investment. They will help lay the foundations for our 10 Year Plan for transport that will give us a transport system to be proud of. And they will deliver a transport network that is better for individuals, businesses and the environment."

Over the next three years, the funding announced today will help:

  • tackle the local road maintenance backlog;


    •
  • improve bus services across the country - including better, more flexible transport services for people in rural areas;

    •

And starting now means that by 2010 the Government's 10 Year Plan will deliver the following:

  • tackling congestion on our busiest roads;


    •
  • improved rail services carrying more passengers, more reliably, and on more trains;
  • more people using the bus - due to more frequent, better buses and improved infrastructure;


    •
  • a significant increase in light rail use in our cities;


    •
  • a better London Underground through the Public Private Partnership.

    •

The Spending Review funds the first three years of Transport 2010: The 10 Year Plan, due to be launched shortly by the Deputy Prime Minister.

This will set out a long-term plan for modernising transport infrastructure with investment by the public and private sectors 75 per cent higher in real terms than the last ten years. It will introduce a balanced package that tackles road congestion through improving public transport and targeted investment in the road network.


NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Further details on the rest of the DETR spending programme are set out in a separate press notice - see SR2000/DETR1.

2. Transport Spending over the Spending Review period will be:

£ million 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04
Transport 4895 6019 7369 9120
of which - Capital 2332 3233 4511 6176

3. The Ten Year Plan for Transport will be published shortly.

4. For further details please contact the DETR Press Office on 020 7944 3118.