Travel plans

The government has announced a series of plans to help improve the UK’s transport infrastructure, including support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport.

Measures announced by transport secretary Geoff Hoon include up to £6bn to be spent improving roads; the creation of a new company - High Speed 2 - to help consider the case for new high-speed rail services between London and Scotland; and further work exploring the case for electrifying the Great Western and Midland Mainline railway lines.

Government support for a third runway at Heathrow Airport does not include 'mixed mode', which would have seen the two existing runways used more intensively, and further caveats have been put into place to ensure the UK meets its climate change commitments. These include reducing UK aviation emissions below 2005 levels by 2050 and putting a limit on initial use of the third runway so that the total increase in flights does not exceed 125,000 a year.