London Mayor sets out infrastructure plans

London Mayor Boris Johnson has revealed details of a proposed £1 trillion programme that would see huge improvements made to the capital’s infrastructure.  

The London Infrastructure Plan 2050 outlines ambitious proposals and has been released for public consultation.

The Mayor commissioned the London Infrastructure Plan in summer 2013, to ensure that the capital has the infrastructure it needs to remain one of the best cities in the world in which to live, work and do business.

According to the report, London’s infrastructure is already under pressure, and its population continues to grow – with current projections suggesting it will hit 10 million by the early 2030s. The aim of this plan is to prepare better for this growth over the long term, to ensure London becomes a better city in which to live, not just a bigger one.

In the area of transport, the consultation sets out plans to provide a projected 70% increase in rail and tube capacity; creation of a new four-runway hub airport to the east of London; delivery of up to 36 trains per hour on certain tube lines; Crossrail 2 by 2030; extending the Bakerloo line; new East-London river crossings; four-tracking the West Anglia lines; a South London Metro; an inner orbital road tunnel; improvements to double the number of passengers on London’s rail network; and 200km of new cycle highways.

Speaking in the foreword of the consultation, Boris Johnson said: “By its very nature, infrastructure underpins everything else. We all useit every day. That is why I am consulting with Londoners, businesses, the boroughs, national government, the wider South East and beyond. We all have a stake in improving London’s infrastructure, so I want as many people as possible to tell me their views."