Budget 2021: Sunak commits £46bn to railways
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a further £46bn on rail investment at this year’s Budget.
The money is focused predominantly on boosting connectivity across the country.
The Autumn Budget and Spending Review includes £35bn directly for railway connectivity over the next three years.
It is also committing £5.7bn over five years in eight city regions outside London.
These regions will benefit from ‘London-style’ transport settlements.
This includes Greater Manchester, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Liverpool City, South Yorkshire, West of England and Tees Valley.
Sunak also revealed £5bn over the course of parliament in buses and cycling.
The announcements come ahead of the Integrated Railway Plan, which will be released soon.
The plans will outline the details for rail projects such as the eastern leg of HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail.
Sunak says the UK has an “uneven economic geography” which needs resolving as the country comes out from “the worst economic shock we’ve ever seen”.
The chancellor’s budget statements also follows the publication of the National Infrastructure Strategy in 2020, and the launch of the UK Infrastructure Bank.
The bank has invested in 15 town deals across the country and provided £1.2bn for 2024-25 gigabit broadband rollout nationwide.