Transport Secretary Mark Harper has announced a number of projects in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland for exploring options to improve transport links that will strengthen connections across communities throughout the UK and help to drive tourism and grow the economy.

The announcement was made yesterday, Thursday, 7 December, in response to Lord Hendy’s Union Connectivity Review on road improvements and rail upgrades for boosting business and improving connectivity across the country.

The measures will lay the foundations for stronger connectivity and economic growth by increasing access to skilled labour and opportunities, and will be supported by significant long-term work through other Government investments including Network North and upgrading the A75 in Scotland; the Government has already made a £1 billion commitment to electrify the North Wales Main Line.

Actions will also be taken to protect vital domestic air routes, as well as a number of studies for options to improve rail travel in Northern Ireland and Wales, road travel in Scotland, and improvements for overall connectivity between the four countries of the UK.

Included in the announcement were initiatives to:

• provide £8m to the Scottish Government to improve the A75;
• provide £3.3m to Translink to report on the cost, feasibility, and value for money for electrifying the railway in Northern Ireland from Belfast to the Irish border;
• improve domestic aviation route support policy by updating the Public Service Obligation (PSO) policy to include routes operating between different regions of the UK instead of just London.

These measures will complement existing recent investments from Network North including:

• Funding a £1 billion investment to electrify the North Wales Main Line;
• Delivering the Midlands Rail Hub in full, and investing £1.75bn to improve journey times and increase capacity and the frequency of services, including between Cardiff and Birmingham.

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper said: “We are committed to delivering growth opportunities across the United Kingdom.

“Today we are announcing support for projects that will boost connectivity and enhance transport connections across the UK. These projects will identify schemes that can bring economic benefits to people across the UK.

“I’d like to thank the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive for working collaboratively with us on these projects and I look forward to continuing to work closely with them on improving UK transport connectivity.”

“A better-connected UK brings communities closer to opportunities that support levelling-up and unlock economic growth. Our response to the Union Connectivity Review marks an important step in increasing UK connectivity and delivering the strong, reliable transport connections people depend on every day.”

Lord Hendy responded: “I welcome the Government’s response to my review and the announcements in it. My recommendations outlined the next steps that the government should take to identify investments that will improve connectivity and support economic growth, job creation, house building, social cohesion and sustainability. The government’s response shows that they are taking the necessary actions to move this work forward and demonstrates their commitment to improving UK connectivity.

“I am also pleased to see that partnerships between the UK government, and each of the Scottish government, Welsh government, and Northern Ireland Executive have underpinned this work and I look forward to seeing them continue in the future.”

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said: “Improving connectivity across Northern Ireland and the UK is a priority of the UK government, and I am pleased that these feasibility studies will support that aim in Northern Ireland, for the benefit of businesses and people living and working here.”

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK Government is spreading opportunity and prosperity to all corners of our country and I’m pleased to see plans for delivering improved transport connectivity taking huge strides forwards.

“Hauliers, commuters, leisure travellers and communities will be delighted to see UK Government funding to kick-start work by Transport Scotland to identify improvements on the A75, the main artery linking Northern Ireland to the north of England through south-west Scotland.

“The UK Government is also committing funding to explore ways to boost rail connectivity between Scotland and England. And we’re investing in upgrades to the A1 and protecting vital air routes throughout the UK.

“We look forward to continuing to work with the Scottish Government on this ambitious package of proposals to link up the UK much more effectively – boosting our economy, creating jobs and levelling up opportunities around the country.”

Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said: “The UK Government has invested millions directly in Wales’ transport infrastructure, speeding up journeys for travellers. Following the Hendy review we are committed to making further significant improvements, leading to better-connected communities and greater opportunity for people across the country.

“The planned £1bn electrification of the North Wales Main Line, £50m for Cardiff cross rail, £141m for the Valley Lines and £11m for the A4119 road upgrade are just some of the improvements the UK Government is delivering in infrastructure in every part of Wales.”