UK plans fully integrated transport network to high tech hot spots

The UK government’s plans to support the country’s burgeoning high-tech industry, centred on London, Cambridge and Oxford, are being facilitated by the Department for Transport (DfT) and its plans for a fully integrated transport network linking each of the three core technical clusters, as well as the wider technical community. The DfT is developing proposals for the construction of a new railway line from Bedford to Cambridge. This would build on the ongoing work on the east-west rail project and compl
December 9, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
The UK government’s plans to support the country’s burgeoning high-tech industry, centred on London, Cambridge and Oxford, are being facilitated by the 1837 Department for Transport (DfT) and its plans for a fully integrated transport network linking each of the three core technical clusters, as well as the wider technical community.

The DfT is developing proposals for the construction of a new railway line from Bedford to Cambridge. This would build on the ongoing work on the east-west rail project and complete the London-Cambridge-Oxford tech triangle.

Once both of these lines are completed they will allow for fast direct rail services between Cambridge and Oxford for the first time in a generation.

The government is already committed to a huge expansion of the existing railway; a US$62 billion spending programme between 2014 and 2019 will improve and maintain the national network.

From 2019 the new Thameslink and Crossrail services will improve access from London to the other tech clusters but also to Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton airports; a proposed new station in Cambridge will provide access to the SciencePark and tech locations cutting journey times; in Oxford the total rebuild and expansion of the existing station and new bus station will again significantly improve access to tech locations within the city; from 2018 the Thameslink scheme allows for direct trains between Farringdon and City Thameslink within London and Cambridge and improves service to 3249 Gatwick Airport; and the electrification of the Great Western Mainline which allows for the new Super Express to be operational by 2017 will reduce journey times and improve services between London to Oxford and beyond.
Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Inland waterways can de-stress city roads
    March 17, 2016
    David Crawford looks at an under-utilised solution for city-centre deliveries. The use of rivers and canals for moving freight is a well-established mode in North Western Europe, where it can take advantage of an intensively developed network. In the Netherlands, 40% of the total volume of goods transported internally goes by water; the figure for Flanders (the neighbouring Dutch-speaking region of Belgium) is 11.5%.
    Read More
  • Viaduct deck renewal creates detour dilemma for MassDOT
    May 26, 2016
    As the deck renewal of the I-91 viaduct in Springfield gets underway, David Crawford looks at the preparation and planning to ease the resulting traffic congestion. Accommodating the deck renewal of a 4km-long/four-lanes in each direction viaduct in the heart of Springfield (Massachusetts’ third largest city), has involved the state’s Department of Transportation (MassDOT) in a massive exercise in transport research and ITS-based area-wide preplanning and traffic management. Supporting a workzone of well ab
    Read More
  • Mexico City seeks solutions to improve air quality
    December 6, 2017
    David Crawford ponders prospects for one of the world’s most congested and polluted cities. In 1992, the United Nations named Mexico City as the world’s most polluted urban centre. In the first half of 2016, following the updating of pollution alert limits to meet international standards, Mexico recorded 115 days where ozone concentrations exceeded the acute exposure health limit.
    Read More
  • UK infrastructure bill
    June 6, 2014
    The UK government’s proposed Infrastructure Bill would improve how the national infrastructure is funded, planned, managed and maintained and provide a US$4.4 billion boost to the economy over the next ten years. Proposals include: improving the funding and management of our major roads; streamlining the planning process for major projects; protecting our infrastructure from invasive plants and animals; supporting house building; making it easier and cheaper to register land and property; helping communi
    Read More

Highlighted Content