The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that long-awaited rail improvements in the North of England are set to receive funding of £589m. It has also been confirmed that the majority of the investment will be spent on electrifying the line between Manchester and Leeds, a key artery for passengers and freight.
Proposals were first publicised in 2011 before an amended £2.9bn scheme was announced in 2019. In addition to electrification, improvements will also include the installation of new track around Leeds and Huddersfield, increasing capacity and allowing faster trains to overtake slower ones.
It has also been announced by the DfT that a new body will be established to facilitate a more efficient delivery of transport investment schemes across the north.
David Vernon, head of Consenting at Carter Jonas is the Senior Consents Sponsor for Network Rail (NR) for this project. David comments: “The role involves managing the Network Rail delivery teams, including property, to achieve a successful TWAO submission. It includes leading on engagement with external parties, whether it be industry stakeholders such as the Department for Transport, Train Operating Companies or other internal NR departments, through to local authorities and affected landowners, stakeholders and the general public”.
David acts as a key NR representative to ensure that the project as consented and delivered, realises the significant social and economic benefits that a more reliable, greater capacity, and faster Transpennine route, can provide for the North.
Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, has revealed that the government will be investing £200,000 into the research and development of an innovative antenna prototype for rail gantries.
With over a third of Great Britain’s railways electrified using overhead line equipment (OLE), DfT research has concluded that there is significant potential to attach communications apparatus onto gantries, improving mobile connectivity for passengers and reducing internet blackouts.
Utilising existing structures could also be a positive cost-saving measure, reducing the need to erect new trackside masts and other infrastructure.
Contrary to the recommendation of the examining authority, Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson has granted a Development Consent Order (DCO) for the overhaul of Manston Airport, Kent. The applicant, RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP), will now transform the facility into an international airfreight hub and passenger airfield.
The proposals included the reuse of existing facilities and the development of new infrastructure but the examining authority, PINS, were minded to reject the application as they felt that freight levels would be “modest” and could be accommodated by existing airports in the southeast.
The Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, was not able to make the decision owing to a conflict of interest but had provided statements of support prior to his appointment. Instead, Stephenson granted the DCO, concluding that there was a “clear need” for the development and that existing airports would not be able to handle the same extent of freight.
Four Ashes Ltd have been given the green light to construct a new strategic rail freight interchange at Gailey. Although the scheme was approved in May, there was a four-week period for parties to lodge legal challenges; as none were forthcoming and the deadline has since passed, construction can now commence.
The scheme has been designed to increase the efficiency of freight distribution, removing traffic from the roads and onto the rail network. It is thought that rail freight produces up to 70% less carbon emissions and up to 15 times lower noxious emissions than road freight, tonne for tonne.
Spanning an area the size of 430 football pitches, the interchange will create in excess of 8,500 jobs and is expected to annually generate £427m of local economic activity. The site was selected with the benefit of its proximity to the West Coast Mainline and the M6.
Described as “the world’s first full chain carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project from gas-fired power generation,” the Teesside-based scheme has reached a significant planning milestone.
Net Zero Teesside (NZT) aims to decarbonise a group of intensive Teesside industries as early as 2030 and will be the UK’s first commercial-scale CCUS project. It will have the capacity to capture 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually – equal to the amount of energy consumed in a year by three million dwellings. The complex will be developed on the former site of Redcar steelworks, comprising both onshore and offshore construction works, and will create around 5,500 construction jobs.
The public consultation has now reached its second phase and will close at the end of September. Feedback will then be reviewed and reflected in the finalised Development Consent Order (DCO) and supporting Environmental Statement; it is anticipated that these documents will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate early next year.
Wigan’s major new link road has finally opened. Delivered by civil engineering firm Jones Bros, the route helps to connect the town centre with the M6, featuring a new highway and four bridges.
The route has been designed to ease congestion and improve air quality along the existing local road network. Construction of the A49 link road began in 2018; the scheme received in excess of £20m from the government’s Local Growth Fund through the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), managed by the Transport for Greater Manchester.
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