THE CHANCELLOR George Osborne has unveiled a National Infrastructure Plan which contains more than 500 individual projects covering railways, roads and airports, as part of his autumn spending statement in the House of Commons.
He has told MPs that efficient transport systems are essential to the economy.
Among the major rail projects to go ahead are electrification of the northern TransPennine route, an extension of the Northern Line in London to Battersea, and construction of the East-West rail link which will connect Oxford with Aylesbury, Bletchley and Bedford by 2017.
Mr Osborne has also referred to support for the sleeper services between London and Scotland, following concerns by Transport Scotland that the service was costing £21 million a year and that its rolling stock was now out of date.
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