Railways are frequently promoted as one of the most sustainable modes of transport. However, their impact will in practice be significantly affected by the ways in which they are designed, constructed, and used. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the issues involved in planning, engineering and operating sustainable railway systems.
Enabling power: Transport and Works Act 1992, ss. 1, 5, sch. 1, para. 1 to 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 16Issued: 11.02.2020. Sifted: -. Made: 04.02.2020. Laid: -. Coming into force: 25.02.2020. Effect: 1961 c. 33; 1965 c. 56; 1981 c. 66 amended & 1991 c. 59; 2010 c. 29; S.I. 2016/1154 partially disapplied. Territorial extent & classification: E. Local
In this paper the Government announces an increase in capital spending plans by £3 billion a year, from 2015, which means an additional £18 billion of investment over the next parliament. The Government is taking a long-term approach to infrastructure, to overcome decades of short-term decision making and uncertainty in funding, financing and failures in delivery. Plans include over £70 billion of investment in transport, over £20 billion in schools and £10 billion in science, housing and flood defences. Specific commitments include funding for HS2, the biggest programme of investment in roads since the 1970s, and superfast broadband provision will be expanded so 95 per cent of UK premises will have access to superfast broadband by 2017.Action is being taken to provide the support needed to enable up to £100 billion of private sector energy investment, including through the further roll-out and extension of the UK guarantees scheme. Lessons on successful project delivery will be learnt from the Olympics and similar examples.
This NAO report examines how effectively the Strategic Rail Authority/Department for Transport and Network Rail turned around the West Coast programme between 2002 and 2006 in terms of delivering outputs and expected outcomes in line with the schedule and targets set by the government and set out in the West Coast Main Line Strategy of June 2003. Three areas were examined in detail: how the Strategic Rail Authority/Department of Transport and Network Rail addressed the weaknesses in programme management before 2002 to achieve delivery to schedule; whether costs have been brought under control; whether the programme is delivering its anticipated benefits. A number of findings and conclusions have been set out, including: that the SRA and Network Rail did turn around the programme through an industry-supported strategy, reducing technology risk through reliance on conventional signalling for most of the upgrade; there were some implementation problems in two areas, axle counters and computer-based interlocking signalling, which resulted in an increase in costs; in general, Network Rail's control of costs has improved, but an analysis of its reported and forecast expenditure shows a final programme spend of £8.6 billion, with an overspend of around £300 million; for renewal work on the west coast route, Network Rail is within its overall funding allowance and on course to achieve 70% of the £940 million cost efficiencies assumed by the rail Regulator; at present the Strategic Rail Authority provides subsidies on an annual basis to Virgin West Coast of £590 million in 2005-06 period, this amount represents a payment needed to maintain train services and is outside the £8.6 billion; the project has delivered journey time improvements, with punctuality and train reliability on the West Coast having improved since 2005; in the 2005-06 period, passenger journeys on Virgin West Coast grew by over 20%, and the remaining work on the programme to 2009 will increase passenger train and freight capacity, but the consensus in the rail industry is that around 2015 to 2020, the line will have insufficient capacity to sustain current levels of growth in passenger and freight traffic; the overall strategy has delivered passenger benefits from a modernised track, but value for money for the programme has not been maximised. The report sets out a number of recommendations, including: that the Department in future should model and appraise costs and benefits for different options for the timing of delivery of the project; that the Department and the Office of Rail Regulation should further develop standard definitions for costs for different stages and elements of transport projects; where projects propose new technology at significant cost, the Department and ORR should ensure that Network Rail draws up a supporting business case, addressing costs, benefits and possible challenges along with a supporting implementation and maintenance strategy; the ORR should ensure Network Rail progresses its plans and adopts best practice strategy, and this approach should include a company-wide strategy that addresses whole life costs in its investment appraisal/project business cases, along with improved recording of maintenance and renewals costs for its equipment.
In July 2012, the Government consulted on its strategy for aviation, the draft Aviation Policy Framework. This final Aviation Policy Framework will fully replace the 2003 Air Transport White Paper (Cm.6046, ISBN 9780101604628) on aviation, alongside Government decisions following the recommendations of the Independent Airports Commission, established September 2012. The Aviation Policy Framework is underpinned by two core principles: (i) Collaboration: achieved by working together with industry, regulators, experts, local communities to identify workable solutions; (ii) Transparency: decision making based on clear, independent information and processes. The Framework Policy covers the following areas: (1) Supporting growth and benefits of aviation; (2) Managing aviation's environmental impacts, such as climate change and noise pollution; (3) The role of the Airports Commission; (4) Other aviation objectives, including: protecting passenger' rights; competition and regulation policy; airspace; safety; security and planning.
Revised and updated to cover developments and thinking in transport economics, the book examines the application of economics techniques first, to commercial transport operations, second, to public policy issues and third, to the role of transport in its wider economic context.
This National Infrastructure Plan sets out the strategy for meeting the infrastructure needs of the UK economy. There are three elements to this strategy. First, the Government will plan for the medium term and across sectors. The Plan brings together a comprehensive cross-sectoral analysis of the UK's infrastructure networks and sets out a clear pipeline of over 500 infrastructure projects. Delivering these projects will ensure that the overall performance of the UK's infrastructure is maintained and improved over time. Second, to mobilise the finance required to deliver these projects, the Plan sets out a new approach to coordinating public and private investment in UK infrastructure. Funded through further reductions in current spending, additional investment in infrastructure is being announced. The Government will act to facilitate the private investment that will finance the majority of the UK's infrastructure. This includes bringing in new investors into UK infrastructure; introducing new sources of revenue such as tolling; allowing local authorities more flexibility in the way they use local receipts to fund major infrastructure in specific circumstances; and being willing to consider guarantees against specific risks that the market cannot bear. Third, the Government will take an active role in ensuring the infrastructure in the Plan is delivered efficiently and on time, with priority given to those projects most critical for economic growth. The Government is also reforming the planning and consenting systems to tackle these sources of cost and delay in infrastructure delivery.
Charles Dickens was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era is still very popular today, here are collected the very finest of his crime and mystery stories. Some of the stories included are, 'The Drunkard's Death', 'The Automaton Police', 'The Edwin Drood Syndicate' and many more.
