Mayor of London calls for Government investment in transport infrastructure

• Mayor urges Government to back long-term infrastructure projects in speech to industry and business leaders ahead of Chancellor’s Budget
• DLR to Thamesmead, Bakerloo line extension and West London Orbital “could transform the future of transport in the capital”
• Sadiq’s speech emphasises how investing in London makes the whole country stronger

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will today (Wednesday 15 October) reiterate his calls on the Government to back big transport projects and invest in the capital’s infrastructure ahead of next month’s Budget.

In a keynote speech to business leaders at the London Transport Museum’s annual fundraising dinner, the Mayor will outline how investing in the capital’s transport infrastructure can unlock new homes and jobs to boost local economies and communities – turbocharging regeneration and growth not only in London but across the country.
 
Sadiq will highlight the Elizabeth line as an example of this – not only achieving more than half a billion journeys in its first two and a half years, at speeds that save passengers valuable time, but also creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and a wave of housebuilding across the capital. [1]
 
With the Budget just weeks away, the Mayor will stress the need for Government investment in more such projects. Sadiq is expected to say: “The truth is that, in a decade of managed decline under the previous government, Britain lost our belief that we can build big things. As the pipeline of projects dried up, our country came to rely on creaking infrastructure with no plan to replace it. Now, though, we have a chance to begin a new chapter.”
 
Recognising opportunities presented by the Government’s New Towns Taskforce, the Mayor is expected to say: “Take Thamesmead. It’s only a mile north of Abbey Wood, where the Elizabeth line has fuelled a housebuilding boom. But a lack of transport links mean Thamesmead has struggled.

“Last month, the Government selected it as one of twelve sites where it wants to build ‘new towns.’ But that won’t happen without better transport infrastructure. Extending the DLR to Thamesmead could support the construction of up to 30,000 homes, creating 10,000 jobs. And it’s ready to go right now. Together with two longer-term projects – the Bakerloo line extension and the West London orbital – it could transform the future of transport in the capital.”
 
Beyond Thamesmead, Sadiq will point to the proposed Bakerloo line extension and West London Orbital rail extension as key projects where government investment could turbocharge growth, emphasising that this impact would be felt not just in the capital but across the country. The Mayor is expected to say: “When the Government backs big projects here, communities across Britain benefit; whether they are building trains in Derby, or buses in Falkirk.
 
“This idea that decisions about infrastructure investment should be a zero-sum game, where we pit parts of the country against one another, is not only deeply damaging – it defies economic reality. The stats show that investing in London makes the whole country stronger, and vice versa.
 
“This Government is already rediscovering our Victorian spirit, green-lighting a record number of major infrastructure projects in its first year. But, if they’re serious about growth – which I know they are – they’ve got to get behind the capital. The route to levelling up the rest of the country does not lie in levelling down London, but in ensuring that all parts of the country can share in the other’s success.”